Project Earthquake
by Mayclore
Summary: A new Admiral has taken over the base seen in "Ship Breaker" and "Ex Pluribus Nulla", and high command entrusts her with a special ship girl. Unfortunately, she might be more than anyone in the fleet can handle.
1. All Too Familiar

Here was Fubuki's reward for completing the night watch: a brilliant sunrise splattered across the eastern sky, breathtaking in its colors. Six hours of mindless sailing and shining her spotlight on fish had all been worth this. In secret, it was the reason why she'd volunteer for so many of the watches. Sendai openly despised her for it – maybe missing skies like this was why. Or perhaps she was just weird that way. The girl sure did like her night engagements.

Despite the beauty spreading above her, though, the destroyer was tired. She had to turn her back on the sight and make for the base before her legs gave out. It wouldn't be very nice for someone to see her bobbing along, face down in the water like a dead goldfish. Her thighs and calves were leaden, their aching made worse by the weight of the running gear attached to her shoes. Her movement was slow and painful, but at least the sea was calm. "Oh," she let herself whine quietly. "I gotta run more. My stamina is awful."

As the base and town became clearer with her approach, she noticed another ship girl underway and heading toward her. With a white skirt, long, flowing hair, and really big b—wait. It was Nagato. Nobody ever came to meet her when her watches were done – they were usually all asleep – so seeing the Admiral's right-hand battleship steaming at her with a purpose left Fubuki uneasy. Had she screwed up? Did a submarine get through and attack? Nothing seemed to be on fire; she didn't let facts stop her from panicking, though. Propelled more by terror than anything, she raced over and tried to put together a suitable greeting. "M-miss Nagato! Good morning! My watch is complete! Nothing happened! Nothing… nothing happened, did it?"

Nagato did not slow, forcing Fubuki to keep up with her. "Not that I know of. Good work." She only acknowledged the destroyer's anxiety after Fubuki kept following her. "Is something the matter?"

She admitted her fear through a false smile. "I thought you were coming out here to yell at me."

Now Nagato couldn't help but raise a brow. "First, I could do that over the radio, and second, when have I ever yelled at you?"

"G-good point, I just, uh, never mind." Fubuki tried to still her heart with a hand and looked away. "What's going on then?"

The grand old battleship's hair was flowing in the wind as she sailed, leaving her companion slack-jawed in admiration. "I'm heading out to meet a new arrival." She blinked at Fubuki's expression. "What?"

Fubuki literally slapped herself out of her reverie. "N-nothing!" she squeaked, before muttering to herself, "I really need to buy better shampoo." Another weird look from Nagato made her giggle nervously. "Don't mind me. I'm sleepy." Sleepy… but curious. The base had gotten a lot of transfers with the arrival of the new Admiral. Why hadn't this girl been among them? "May I come along with you?"

"I don't see why not."

"Thank you! It's so exciting to meet someone new." Fubuki grinned wide, trying to stave off the tiredness clinging to her eyes. "What's her name?"

The blankness on Nagato's face darkened slightly. "I don't know."

"What?" Fubuki's eyes went forward as she tried to figure out why that would be. "Didn't the Admiral tell you?"

"She doesn't know it either."

This left her so stunned she nearly tripped over a wave. "What the—why not?!"

Nagato replied with a shrug and some awkward silence before deciding it wouldn't hurt to tell Fubuki what she knew. After all, the destroyer – or a previous version of her – had been the new Admiral's very first ship girl. "She's a ship type we've never had before. Something like a battleship, just faster."

Fubuki cocked her head. "Like Kongou?"

"No. This girl has much heavier armaments while still being almost as fast." The glint of the sun off the ocean made her squint. "Since the Abyssal fleet has shifted its attention our way, the Capital Region is reinforcing us. From what I know, her deployment here is a trial run."

"Wow. This really is exciting." The light bothered her too; to alleviate matters she shielded her eyes and tried to focus on the horizon. Against the golden explosion there hovered a black dot, stuck where the sky met the sea. "Contact. Bearing one-one-zero."

"I see it." Nagato's left hand went to her temple. "Vessel off our bow, this is the battleship Nagato and her escort. Request identification." Fubuki's giggling about being called an escort made her lips tighten. The destroyer saw this and quickly ceased laughing.

"I am the battlecruiser Amagi, in transit from the Capital Region. Are you here to guide me in?" Amagi's voice was flat and chilly. Nagato swore it sounded a little metallic, even through the radio.

But she only let it bother her for an instant. "Affirmative. Maintain course. We'll reach you momentarily. Nagato out."

In a minute or so they were on each other. Like them, the new girl was fully armed. She mounted five twin turrets, not four like Nagato, and her combat gear bristled with secondary guns. Unlike the battleship, she was dressed rather modestly – a knee-length gray sleeveless dress with clunky-looking black knee boots, and a flowery black sash around her waist. Her brown hair also flowed in the wind. Fubuki's attention was drawn first to the red bow on the left side of her head, then to the woman's face. It was so much like the visage of her favorite carrier that she couldn't help but comment on it. "Wow, she looks a lot like Miss Akagi."

Nagato nodded her agreement. "No kidding." Everyone slowed to a stop and regarded each other for a bit before the battleship extended her hand. "Welcome to the western front. We're glad to have you." And while Amagi did eventually complete the handshake, Nagato regretted making eye contact. Those gray eyes pierced right through her, as if locked on some object in the far distance. "So, ah, long trip?"

Amagi shrugged her shoulders and glanced off to the side. "It was fine. My fairies are probably tired."

"Right." The three of them fell into a loose formation and proceeded toward the harbor. Fubuki made no attempt to disguise her gawking, so Nagato had to tap her on the shoulder. "Don't stare."

"S-sorry! She just has so many guns!"

"I guess I do," Amagi noted evenly, glancing down at her turrets.

This emboldened the destroyer a little. "So, what class are you from?"

"The class that bears my name." She turned her eyes to Fubuki for a moment.

This brief eye contact was long enough to make the girl shiver. "Aha, so am I! Except I probably have a lot more sisters than you do..."

A dark, bitter cloud swept over Amagi's expression. "I only had one."

Fubuki tried to work the chills out of her spine, smiling wide all the while. "M-miss Akagi, right? I bet she'll be happy to see you."

The battlecruiser's attention moved to Nagato. "My sister is here?" Her tone was far different – it suddenly held a warm quality.

"Not at the moment. She and Kaga are leading some of our newer carriers out on an expedition. They should be back tomorrow."

"I see." Amagi's voice was back to being an audible blizzard.

That quelled any further small talk. Fubuki was too unnerved to ask anymore questions and Nagato could not shake her unease about the strange notes in Amagi's voice. Thankfully, a change of subject was fast approaching. The naval base came into view around a little islet in the harbor, its red cranes gleaming in the sunrise. "How about a tour? Most of the base should be open by now," the battleship said politely.

An instant of consideration passed before she agreed. "I don't see why not."

Shortly afterward, the little fleet reached a huge, rectangular concrete structure. It was built into the cliff and stood partially underwater, with a flat roof and blue lights across the top. Most of its front was dominated by an immense steel door. Fubuki's exhaustion had finally caught her flush; the poor destroyer lagged behind, hardly able to stay upright. "Miss Nagato?" she droned. "Permission to… permission to..." The words were out of reach of her sleepy mind.

Nagato dropped back and helped her along. "You're relieved. Go to bed. I'll handle things from here." Her hand went up to her temple again. "Ooyodo, three coming in."

"Roger that. Stand clear."

The steel door tilted back with a series of rumbling creaks, its bottom rising from the water. As soon as there was enough space between it and the sea's surface for them to move, they went, Nagato leading the way. The water ended at the terminus of a short, dark tunnel, which opened up into a cave-like space clad in concrete and metal and topped off with an overhead crane. Little humanoid creatures climbed and darted about all over. "Take care of Fubuki first," Nagato said, waving to a few of the fairies. "Before she passes out." While they went to work, she looked over at Amagi. "They might need a second to calibrate the crane to your equipment."

"I understand." Her arms went skyward – at first, it seemed like she was stretching, but she kept them there. "Dismissed." she murmured lowly. "I'll see you all later." A sudden flood of fairies emerged from her turrets and superstructure.

Now Nagato understood why she had to raise her arms. Against her better judgment, she decided to try chit-chat again. "So, how was the Capital Region?"

"Boring." Amagi reached behind herself as the crane came down for her gear, flicking a switch when the hook was securely attached. She began to walk as her guns flew away. "I'll be outside."

Getting there was a bit of a journey, up a twisting metal staircase that climbed what should have been an elevator shaft, or so it seemed. At the top there was a landing and a simple red door; beyond it was a stretch of grass, a sidewalk, a road, and to her right, the town that had sprung up to support the naval base. Across the street was a stern-looking brick thing, three stories tall, whose front was propped up by a set of white columns. Amagi let herself get accustomed to the scenery as she waited. Then a thought crossed her mind. "Akagi..." Her thin brows furrowed.

She hadn't expected to see her here. Or, in fact, ever again.

No time to dwell on it, however, as Nagato was already through the door and walking up to her. "The grand tour, then." She pointed at the brick building across the road. "That's headquarters. I'm sure the Admiral will want to talk to you... whenever she wakes up." Her finger then went to the town. "It's not the capital, but the people are nice. You can get some good food near the harbor. The rest of the base is this way. Follow me."

Nagato didn't bother following the road. Instead she cut across it and onto the grass around the headquarters. Once it was out of the way, Amagi could see more structures behind it. Most of them were more modest than the one they'd just passed, at least in height. Hardly anyone else was on the paved paths.

One of those few early risers was Tenryuu, walking at a brisk pace. The sword on her hip bounced with each step. "Oi, Chief!" she greeted at a distance, waving her arm. "Who's the new girl?"

The battleship flicked away her question with a hand. "She can introduce herself."

And she did, with all the cheerfulness of a graveyard memorial. "My name is Amagi."

Tenryuu quickly picked up on her distant demeanor and rolled with it, not even bothering to offer a handshake. Her bravado, however, remained intact. "Hey there. I'm Tenryuu. Heh. Probably heard of me, right? I'm pretty terrifying."

"I somehow doubt that very much."

Amagi's reply left her silent and slack-jawed. The two capital ships walked on without a further word, although Nagato turned back and shrugged at Tenryuu helplessly. "That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" she eventually asked.

Her attention was focused on figuring out the purpose of the buildings around her. "I don't have time to lie. Where are we?"

"These are the living quarters. Up ahead is the bath house and where the Admiral lives." Nagato blushed a bit. "I mean, I'm not saying she lives in the bath house, I meant..."

"I get the point. Where are the docks?"

Now the battleship felt as stung as Tenryuu must have a few moments earlier. "Under the red cranes down by the deployment point. All the factory facilities are around there." Nagato came to a stop in front of one building and nodded at its double doors. "The battleships live here. We only have two, so you more or less have your pick of the rooms." She made way as Amagi approached the doors. "I don't know when the Admiral will want you. Depends on when she wakes up."

Another shrug as she wandered into the building. "I'll manage in the meantime." And with that, she shut the door and left Nagato to stand there awkwardly.

"Well." She put her hands on her hips and frowned. "I don't mind terse, but this is a bit much." Some of the birdsong in the background had abruptly become very loud – she glanced up to find a bluebird perched on one of the metal protrusions of her hairband. "I'm not a statue." Despite her gentle shaking, it refused to leave. "Hmph. If it's late enough for the birds, it's late enough to go wake up the Admiral."

* * *

And so she did, but an hour later the woman still hadn't made it to her office. At this point Nagato's hands were tied – if she asked questions now, all she'd get were grumbling, mumbled responses that may or may not even be made of words. So to pass the time, she sat at her desk in the Admiral's office and fretted over paperwork. Requisition forms, mostly, things Akashi and Yuubari wanted for equipment or construction. All the while, her mind kept wandering back to Amagi's metallic voice. "So strange," she breathed, rubbing her eyes. "Why would she _sound_ like that?"

A loud bump against the wall broke her concentration. As she stood up to investigate, two more bumps rang out, then one of the office doors swung open. Through it came a blonde woman in an all-white uniform, complete with a peaked cap. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail that ended between her shoulders. "Why did you wake me up?" she demanded sleepily. "Nothing's on fire."

"I find it funny that you needed an hour to gather the mental capacity to complain about me waking you up, ma'am." Nagato walked near her in case she needed help getting to her own desk, but the Admiral made it under her own power – mostly. The moment she was seated, she slumped over and rested face down on the top. "Ma'am. Please. There's something important I need to discuss with you."

"You woke me up at 0730 and nothing was burning. I'm _super_ annoyed."

A suddenly grumpy Nagato crossed her arms. "Ma'am, honestly, you're like a child sometimes."

The Admiral tilted her head just enough to get one eye on the battleship. "Are you ever going to stop calling me ma'am?"

She put on a wry smile. "You are my commanding officer, ma'am, so no ma'am, I will never stop calling you ma'am, ma'am."

"I kinda hate you right now." With immense effort – or at least the appearance of such – she straightened up in her chair and tried to look like a competent flag officer. "Fine. What has your rigging in a twist _this_ time?"

Now the wry smirk was on the blonde's face instead. Nagato cleared her throat with a scowl. "I don't often have my rigging in twists… ma'am. The transfer came in this morning."

This revelation failed to rile the Admiral. "Uh huh. What about her?"

"She shouldn't exist."

That got her attention. "Why not?" she asked, blue eyes glittering with curiosity.

Nagato turned away, staring out the window to focus on the memories. "I was young when she died. The earthquake killed her – or so I thought." The recollection of the work she and Mutsu did to save lives filled her mind for a moment and made her smile. That quickly faded away. "I heard her hull was cracked in two."

The Admiral knew enough history to figure out who the transfer was by now. "The first Amagi. No wonder high command was so evasive. You're right. She shouldn't exist." They shared a vaguely concerned look. "Did she behave herself?"

"Yes, but she was distant. Chilly. That isn't what bothers me. Her voice sounds strange. Almost like her voice box is metal."

The Admiral's head tilted subtly. "Aren't parts of _you_ metal?"

"I, well-" Nagato paused to tug at her thick steel collar and frown, then she regained her composure and spun on her heel. "No! We're flesh and blood! And oil. And…" The more she thought on it, the less certain she was. "Perhaps parts of our bones are steel? I admit, I'm not entirely sure how we work."

"That makes two of us." The Admiral kicked back in her chair and yawned. "Look, she could sound like a kazoo for all I care. All I want is for her to get along with everyone – or at least co-exist with everyone – and fight well."

Movement beyond the window caught Nagato's eyes briefly. "We'll have to wait and see on the latter. I'm not so sure about the former. Amagi strikes me as a little hostile."

Those concerns received a shrug of the Admiral's shoulders. "Well, she's new. And given all the secrecy around her deployment, she's gotta be different. Maybe she just needs some time to settle in."

"Maybe."

All signs of playfulness vanished from the Admiral's face as she stood up and walked over. "You're not telling me something."

Nagato steadfastly refused to look at her. "It's nothing. I'll deal with it." She could feel those blue eyes boring into her soul. "Ma'am, it's-"

"Don't give me that shit, Nagato."

Her shoulders jumped slightly with the Admiral's harsh words. "I just want her to—I mean I'd like her to… hmm." She dropped the act and folded her arms loosely. "No matter what we try we can't seem to construct a new battleship. Mutsu and I are kind of lonely. Now we've got Amagi and – besides the fact that Akagi has her sister back – we have someone new to talk to that isn't terrified of our firepower. I'm hoping she won't get herself transferred out." She jumped again when the Admiral gave her a pat on the back.

"What a softie," she said. "I'm sure the factory will make us another big girl eventually, but, uh, I didn't know it bothered you so much."

She decided to take this as a compliment and smiled. "I keep it to myself."

The Admiral sprung her trap on the way back to her desk. "Maybe that's why Amagi bothers you, you're too much like her."

"Wh-wh—that's not true! That's not true at all!"

"Mhm. If you say so." She busied herself by shuffling through a leather-bound stack of reports. "Could you grab me a cup of coffee? And call Amagi in. Let's see how not alike you two really are."

* * *

Approximately five minutes after the announcement, Amagi came striding into the office with a distinctly blank look on her face. As before, her eyes seemed to be fixed on something in the far distance. The Admiral was not here, however; she'd stepped out for some air. Nagato was the only one around to greet her. "Ah, there you are. The Admiral will be back in a moment. Have a seat."

Amagi denied the offer with a shake of her head and examined the office. "There's something familiar about this place."

"Huh?" Nagato joined her in looking around. Nothing stuck out to her, of course – she was too used to the sight by now – but she still tried to figure out what Amagi meant. When this failed, she verbally admitted defeat. "I don't follow."

"The painting."

The piece in question was a faded depiction of a shoreline with a green island in the background. Nagato had never paid it much attention before now. "Hm. Ashigara says the Admiral brought that with her. I'm not sure I share her tastes." She looked over just in time to see Amagi's eyes narrowing. "What?"

"Is Nagato badmouthing me behind my back?" The Admiral came wandering in with a coffee mug in one hand and her hat in the other. "Man, it's chilly out there." Amagi's presence made her stop and look, but the battlecruiser still had her back turned. "There you are. Welcome." When Amagi faced her, the look on the blonde's face went from playful to dumbfounded, then settled on utterly shocked. "I… uh..."

Amagi eyed her with arms folded. "What a surprise. The last time I saw you, you were a Lieutenant Commander. How times have changed."

"And the last time I saw you, ah..." She moved to her desk and sat down roughly. "Ahahahaha… ah… oh boy."

A surprised Nagato couldn't help but state the obvious. "You two know each other?"

"You could say we've met," Amagi replied evenly, her eyes on the trembling Admiral. "No wonder they sent me out here. They must think you can _handle_ me."

She refused to go any further with the exchange and cleared her throat. "I'm gonna change the subject before we end up in classified territory." And then she couldn't think of anything to say. The meeting had left her too rattled to think. "Um..."

"Ma'am?" Almost subconsciously, Nagato put herself between Amagi and the Admiral. "You look pale."

"Okay, we're gonna have to talk about what we're talking about. Nagato, step outside and try not to hear anything secret so I don't get executed."

She looked between her commander and the battlecruiser and blinked several times before relenting to the order in silence. Her posture was unbelievably stiff as she walked out. The Admiral got up and locked the door behind her. "You didn't even have a name," she said while coming back. "You were just a body in a tube. Who decided to call you Amagi?"

Gone was the hollowness in her steely eyes, replaced by bitter, brilliant flames. "I called _myself_ Amagi. After your colleagues were done poking wires into my existence, the least they could have done was let me figure out my own name. And the least is exactly what they did."

The Admiral swallowed hard. "Okay. You're mad. I totally understand, but-"

Amagi was back to her muted self again. "I'm not mad at you. You would know if I were."

"Yeah. I bet I would." They regarded each other warily for a second or two. "Nice bow."

"I guess." She touched it briefly. "When will Akagi be back?"

"Tomorrow evening, if everything is going smoothly. I'd tell her you're here but I have the detachment under radio silence." At last the Admiral had something to smile about. "She's going to be so happy to see you. I can't wait to see the look on her face."

Even Amagi had to smile now. "Yes." She dismissed it with a frown. "I was told there would be an orientation briefing?"

"Yep. And I gotta stick you in a fleet. Actually, probably gonna organize one around you. We don't have many capital ships." She rifled through some loose papers on the desk while making a few low noises. "I need to put you through a shakedown anyway. See what I have."

Amagi ran a hand over her walnut hair. "Whatever gets my guns pointed at the enemy fastest."

The blonde looked up with uncertain eyes, no longer able to keep the biggest question she had to herself. "So, uh, what happened to you after I left?"

"That's classified even above your clearance, I'm afraid." Perhaps the ice was finally broken, or maybe Amagi just didn't care enough to go anywhere else – whatever the reason, she sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and looked out the window. "I'll just wait here for you to decide, if you don't mind."

"Sure, that's fine." The Admiral looked at her again. "I… uh, I'm glad you made it. For whatever that's worth."

Amagi regarded her with a thousand yard stare. "Now that I know Akagi is alive, so am I."


	2. War Machine

Watching the Admiral at work was admittedly pretty boring, but Amagi had other things on her mind anyway. The foremost of these was her sister. The last time she'd seen Akagi…

Too much fire and pain. That image had to be shaken away. Instead she wondered what Akagi looked like now, as a human. The Admiral snapped her out of thinking with a loud question to her secretary. "Hey, Nagato, who do we have that hasn't been out to sea lately?"

"Ashigara, for one. Last I saw, she was a little stir crazy." The battleship tapped her chin in thought. "Do you think she's mad at me? I can't seem to start a conversation with her."

"Come on, Ashi got over you replacing her as my secretary a long time ago. I mean, I was gonna get a big girl eventually. Just didn't think it'd be you and Mutsu."

"Fair enough." Nagato shuffled through a folder full of paperwork. "Is Hatsuyuki still _alive_? I think I've only seen the girl outside of her room once since I got here."

"Ah, she's my precious little hermit princess." The blonde leaned back a bit in contemplation. "Bring her in here. The kid needs some sun. And Ashi, too."

"Right away." Nagato plucked the microphone off her desk. "Attention. Would the heavy cruiser Ashigara and the destroyer Hatsuyuki please report to the Admiral's office? Thank you." She set it aside. "That's three. Who else?"

A fit of giggles seized the Admiral. "Akebono hasn't been out since Tatsuta scared her last week. I better make sure she doesn't get rusty."

"So a battlecruiser, a heavy cruiser, and two destroyers." It was about then that Nagato realized they'd been talking right past the ship girl of the hour. "Amagi? Any thoughts?"

Her response was prefaced by a shrug. "I haven't met anyone else yet. It's not like I have a preference. I just want to shoot something."

"Life isn't all war, you know." The Admiral's blue eyes lit up with an idea. "Ooo, I know," she mumbled, hurriedly scribbling down something on the paper in front of her. "There. Amagi, Ashigara, Akebono, Hatsuyuki, Kaga, and Akagi. Big guns and big carriers." The last name, of course, made Amagi perk up – which had been part of the blonde's plan. "Of course I'm gonna put you in a fleet with your sister. I'm not _that_ much of a jerk." If she were looking for gratitude, there was none to be found in Amagi's steely eyes. "...yeah. Anyway, you know Kaga too, right?"

A shadow passed over the battlecruiser's face. "I'm familiar with her sister."

The Admiral cocked her head. "Her…? Forget it. I'll just-" Ashigara's appearance in the doorway made her stop short. "You got here quick."

"I was on my way when you called. I wanted to see the new girl." She regarded Amagi with a pointed stare, sizing her up. "Hmm. She looks a lot like Akagi."

"There's a reason for that." The Admiral looked between them and smiled. "Ashigara, this is Amagi."

"Hmm," the battlecruiser said lowly, before her attention went elsewhere. "I have a question. Why are there so few battleships here?"

Ashigara had the answer. "Because of the idiot she replaced," she explained, nodding over to the blonde behind the desk. "The only capital ship we had was Kongou, and she wanted a transfer out. We're not a very active area of operations. At least, not until recently. Now the Abyssal fleet is coming and we can't seem to build another battleship."

"Yeah, my construction luck is fucking terrible." The Admiral blinked and looked over at Amagi. "You don't mind if I sw-"

"No," she replied, an apathetic stare affixed to the word.

"Right." A purple-haired girl with a long ponytail rooted in her right temple slipped into the office before she could continue. "Wow, you got here _really_ fast."

Akebono dismissed that with a wave. "I was at the dock. You know. Not too far of a walk."

The Admiral knew she was lying, but let it pass with a smirk. "Uh huh. Amagi, this is Akebono, a destroyer after my own heart."

She crossed her arms with a huff. "Oh, whatever." And then she peered at Amagi. "What kinda ship are you, huh? You're tall. And..." The resemblance to Akagi made her go quiet for a moment. "Carrier?"

"The only aircraft I carry are scouts."

"But you look so much like-"

"I've been told," she cut her off, growing agitated with all the focus being put on her.

"'Bono here is the prickliest ship girl on this planet. If you can get along with her, you can get along with anybody." The Admiral grinned again, knowing exactly what was coming next.

Akebono exploded, pointing an angry finger at her commander. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" She only got madder when the Admiral started laughing. "Hey!"

"Akebono, please," Nagato said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "And you too, ma'am."

Ashigara was enjoying the display. "Hee hee. They're like sisters."

"Oh god. I'd rather sink than be related to her."

"Awww, I love you too!" While they'd been teasing each other, Hatsuyuki had sneaked into the room and was currently standing by the secretary's desk. Her head was down. The Admiral's voice lost its boisterous tone as she addressed her presence. "Hey. Hatsu, I see you. Come here."

She did, but with incredible reluctance, eventually ending up at Ashigara's side. "Uh… hi. Who's this?"

The battlecruiser's agitation subsided a bit with the breathy, mumbling way Hatsuyuki spoke. Her own voice dropped in sympathy. "My name is Amagi."

"Oh. Hi."

The Admiral clapped her hands with a smile. "All right then. You're all the… uh, Nagato, how many fleets do I have again?"

Nagato indulged in a facepalm and sighed. "Good grief, ma'am. Just give them a number."

"If you say so. Tenth? I don't have that many ships. Pretty sure." Those blue eyes said the Admiral wasn't certain in the least.

"You need a hand?" Ashigara asked Nagato. "I'll try to understand her handwriting, you go pull the records."

"No, thank you, I've got it."

"What are are you trying to say?" the Admiral asked, sounding remarkably like Akebono.

"I—never mind." Nagato rose from her chair and looked at the entire assembly. "I assume you have orders?"

She nodded and regarded her new fleet. "Yep. Be ready to suit up and deploy within the hour. There's an island south of here that I want investigated, and you get to be my detectives."

* * *

The combined fleet had drawn something of a crowd; several ship girls, including Nagato, were standing on the roof of the dock to watch them depart. Akebono and Hatsuyuki took the lead since they were fastest, but Amagi was no slouch. Ashigara made a note of this as they departed the harbor. "You're pretty fast," she said loudly over the wind, "to be carrying so much weight."

Amagi kept her eyes forward. "I was designed to be fast."

The cruiser tilted her head a bit, wondering why her reply seemed so… flat. "Hmm. Not much of a talker?"

"Fine with me," Hatsuyuki said over her shoulder. "I'm sleepy. Let's get this over with."

Ashigara stared at her in disbelief. "S-sleepy? It's ten in the morning!"

"So?"

"I can't believe how lazy you are."

Akebono was already annoyed with the conversation. "Yeah, yeah, we know. Who's got the map?" Hatsuyuki raised her hand. "Terrific. Which way?" All she did was point forward, then swing her arm to starboard. This left Akebono more than a little frustrated with her non-verbal cues. "Can't you just say the compass bearing?"

"I dunno bearings."

She literally could not believe this admission. "How can you not know—you have a radar built into your skull! Tiny navigators with binoculars live in your friggin' backpack!"

Hatsuyuki looked back at the funnel and superstructure attached to her back with leather straps. "I dunno. I'm sleepy. When can we go home?"

It was all becoming a little too much for Ashigara, who hid her eyes with one hand and groaned, "Some fleet we are. The Admiral has lost her mind." And then Amagi took command, steaming ahead of her and splitting the destroyers. "Huh?"

"Line abreast," the battlecruiser ordered firmly. Gone was the metallic flatness in her voice, replaced by brassy confidence. "I'll take the maps. Just follow me." Hatsuyuki was, of course, more than willing to foist the responsibility of navigation off on her and handed over the charts straight away.

"Now we're getting somewhere." Akebono adjusted the flower in her hair and coasted to avoid overtaking her flagship. "You been in a fight before?"

Amagi rested her arms upon her inbound turrets and settled in for the trip. "I know what Abyssal blood looks like."

Both Ashigara and Akebono emitted an impressed "Ooooo," with the latter adding "That was a really good one-liner." Amagi acknowledged none of this.

The other destroyer in their line was more put off than anything. "Ew. Blood is gross."

Behind them, the archipelago faded into a cluster of green dots against the blue sky. Their chatter along the way was minimal at most, with Amagi doing most of her speaking to the voice in her head – Ooyodo, the fleet's operations officer. "Aerial reconnaissance suggests there isn't much activity around your target, but we can't fully confirm this from the air. There might be resources we're missing, too."

Akebono, a hand to her ear, had been listening along. "So is this a sortie or an expedition?"

"A little from column A, a little from column B. If nothing else, the island might be able to host a small forward base."

"Oh, lovely. We're real estate agents now." Ashigara rolled her eyes and glanced to the side, where she noticed Hatsuyuki hugging herself oddly. "What's wrong with you?"

"Hiding my arms. Don't wanna get sunburned."

"Hmm, well, perhaps if you got out more you'd have a tan."

Hatsuyuki muttered something under her breath and looked away. Amagi glanced over and decided to squish any burgeoning argument. "Don't start. We're almost there."

Almost wasn't quite right, really – they needed another two hours worth of sailing to arrive. Their "target" was a small, flat little bump of land in the ocean with a few trees and one big mountain in the middle. Ashigara had to groan at the sight. "Come on! Why did she send us out here? This is barely a key, much less an island. What could anybody want with it?"

Akebono shrugged off her whining. "Eh, you never know. Maybe it's got resources or something." Then a flash of something black far off her port bow made her stare. "What was-" There it was again… and it looked somewhat human. "Chi-class! Bearing 208!" She brought her gun turret to bear and aimed, but the enemy was moving in the opposite direction. "She's getting away!"

"Is she a scout?" Ashigara scanned the horizon for more contacts. Her radar lit up with two more. "Over there. Two more."

"Type?" Amagi asked, training her turrets where the cruiser was pointing.

"Can't tell, exactly. Not big."

"Break formation. We have to assume torpedoes are already in the water." Amagi snapped her fingers at Hatsuyuki, was only just beginning to raise her turret. "You. With me. You two go after that Chi-class while we see what's over here."

"Time to go win!" Ashigara chirped. "Let's go, Akebono."

As they split up, the reserved destroyer just had to ask "Why me?" of her impromptu partner.

"Because you're the most quiet." Amagi squinted, her eyes barely able to pick out two black dots coming around the island. Now there were four targets on an intercept course. "Here they come."

This was now a group of four Chi-class torpedo cruisers, female humanoids – at least from the waist up – with grayish skin and one icy blue eye visible from underneath a white mask. Their lower halves were a tangled mess of black tubing and metal parts. Stuck to their forearms were black, rocky-looking masses. One of these had a mouth. Two broke off to face Hatsuyuki, while the remaining pair regarded Amagi with confused stares, neither sailing toward her nor away.

"Launching torpedoes!" Hatsuyuki yelled – or tried to, though it came out hoarse. Her spread swam toward the approaching enemies, but traveled harmlessly between them. "Missed..." She resorted to firing her gun, wincing with the noise of every shot. One shell struck an enemy vessel right in the face, causing her to topple over and tumble across the sea. "Oh. Huh."

Amagi kept one eye on that engagement and the other on her own targets, who still hadn't opened fire. Her course was perpendicular to theirs; she was trying to cross their T and take their launchers out of play. By the time she pulled it off, though, they were at such close range it didn't even matter anymore. They finally opened fire on her with their cannons. She returned the favor.

Ten high-caliber shells flew from her barrels and struck the Chi-class sailing astern. The impact blasted off her left arm and part of her skull, adding a brief bluish mist to the orange flame and black smoke. She sailed on for a few seconds more before succumbing to her wounds and starting to sink. The remaining Chi-class shrieked with panic and swerved away to escape. A chuckling Amagi gave chase, aiming only one of her guns and firing. This shell struck the machinery portion of her opponent, which afterward emitted smoke and little tongues of flame. The Chi-class slowed to a stop, now dead in the water. "Going somewhere?" Amagi asked cheerfully, sailing right up to her and watching her struggle. When she tried to swing her weapons around, Amagi grabbed her by the arms and held them upward. "No."

The Chi-class tried to wrench her arms free, but was helpless against the battlecruiser's immense strength. With her secondaries, Amagi began to dismantle her, firing at her shoulders until both her limbs went limp, then detached with bloody snaps. She threw those away and grabbed the Chi-class by her black hair, dragging her along as she got underway again. "Come along." The screams of agony she got in return, like two steel plates being rubbed together, were music to her ears.

Meanwhile, Hatsuyuki was having some trouble with the last Chi-class; the battle had devolved into an endless series of evasive maneuvers from both ships. She saw Amagi sailing her way, but also the enemy she was towing. At this distance it looked like a pursuer. "Behind you!" she shouted over the radio. Then she noticed the awful state of the Abyssal. "Uh… what..."

"May I have this dance?" Amagi called back happily. She put herself in the middle of their drunken spiral, openly laughing when the Chi-class turned hard to port after seeing her approach. Like her sister, this Abyssal received a shell to her machinery to slow her down. She released the Chi-class in her grasp and worked on the other as she had before, explosively amputating her arms and tossing them aside. This left the two enemies bobbing helplessly on the waves, writhing and wailing in pain.

Hatsuyuki, with both hands over her mouth, could say nothing in protest. If she tried to speak, she'd end up puking instead.

Amagi placed a hand to her temple while smiling at the torpedo cruisers' misery. "Ashigara, Amagi. Engagement completed. Two confirmed enemy sunk. No friendly losses."

"We ran into another Chi-class ourselves, but it's fine. We're wrapping up here. What happened to the other two over there?"

Her smile became a bitterly evil grin. " _Heavily_ damaged."

"Nice job. Uh, what's that noise, by the way? It's freaking me out."

"The sound of victory. We'll meet you at the island." Amagi ended the transmission and grabbed both Chi-class by the hair. "Go ahead," she said, nodding at Hatsuyuki. "I'll be a bit slow."

"Why?" Hatsuyuki asked. She had an idea, but maybe it was – no, Amagi grabbed her wounded quarry and towed them along, just as she feared. "Y-you can't do that."

Amagi glanced back over her shoulder. "Are you going to stop me?"

The destroyer's mouth went dry with terror. "N-n-n-no..."

"Then you may proceed."

And proceed she did, storming ahead at full speed. She beat Amagi to the island by a long way, arriving almost at the same time as Ashigara and Akebono. "Huh? Where's the new girl?" the latter asked impatiently. "We found some bauxite. She's gotta radio in."

Hatsuyuki squirmed with anxiety as she checked the horizon. "Sh-she, um, she..."

"Come on, spit it out!"

Ashigara knew better than to pile on – she sensed the destroyer's genuine fear and handled it with kid gloves. "Akebono, shush. Hatsu? Did something happen? Are you all right?"

"Amagi-"

It was too late. There she came, her wheezing cargo firmly in tow. A bluish slick trailed out behind them. No longer were the Chi-class screaming; instead they languished in silence, exhausted from the pain and hardly moving. "Find anything else?" she asked.

Both destroyers moved very close to Ashigara. Hatsuyuki hid behind her, but Akebono was too proud for that – she did keep silent, however. The cruiser gingerly approached, trying to keep her own shock from becoming overwhelming. "Amagi, what in the world are you doing?"

"Taking home trophies." Her face dropped at their horrified looks. "The ship girls in the Capital Region looked at me the same way."

"You cannot-" Ashigara's voice caught in her throat at Amagi's glare, so she had to think fast. "You can't tow them. You'll be too slow. We'll become targets if the enemy has any carriers nearby."

Those steely eyes went skyward as Amagi considered her words. "You have a point, I guess."

Ashigara allowed herself a subtle sigh. "Right. Right. Just let them sink in peace and we'll-"

Amagi did nothing of the sort, instead turning two of her main turrets on her captives. She fired at their necks, effectively decapitating them, and held onto their heads while allowing their bodies to get swallowed by the sea. "There. I should be able to maintain speed now. Did you find anything on the island?"

Behind her, Hatsuyuki was beginning to weep. Akebono was making noises herself – whether it was crying or not wasn't clear. Ashigara, slack-jawed and stunned, couldn't look away from Amagi's grisly cargo. "Uh, we'll… we'll worry about that later," she said quietly, not knowing what else she _could_ say.

* * *

The sun was creeping into the western sky by the time they returned. Amagi headed up the detachment, one severed head in each arm and still smiling. Ashigara lagged behind somewhat, mainly to see to the frightened destroyers at her sides. Not a word had been spoken the whole way except when Amagi and Ooyodo were in radio communications. The dock opened for them as they approached. Once inside, there was an uproar over the heads, as expected. Yuubari was the one who met Amagi at the concrete landing, waving her arms in denial. "Uh, no. Throw those away," she demanded. "Also, ew." A withering stare left her unable to ask again. This was enough time for the crane to come down and retrieve Amagi's combat gear, after which she simply headed for the exit with her trophies.

Yuubari shook off the chills and approached Ashigara as she made it to the landing. "What the hell was that?" She looked down at the destroyers and blinked. "What happened?"

Ashigara pointed at Amagi's retreating form. "She happened. Could you grab my weapons first? I need to go speak with the Admiral." When she didn't get an answer, she glanced over and found all the color drained from Yuubari's face. "What?"

Yuubari was also watching Amagi depart. The light cruiser shrugged weakly. "Nothing. Just been a while since I've seen a severed head."

Once free of her gear, Ashigara left Akebono and Hatsuyuki to return to their dorms while she made a beeline for the headquarters building. The Admiral's office doors were shut; when she tried to open them, they turned out to be locked, too. After pressing her ear to one, she could hear muffled voices inside. "Hey!" she yelled, pounding on the door. "Admiral! Are you in there? We need to talk!"

The blonde was inside, but she denied this request. "Kind of in the middle of an operations meeting, Ashi!"

How frantic was she? Frantic enough to snap at her commander, something she'd never ordinarily do. "I don't care! This is important!" Silence from within made her wonder briefly if she'd crossed a line, but a few seconds later there was a subtle click.

Mutsu opened the door and peeked out. "Oh my. You look like you've seen a ghost," she commented, head curiously tilted to one side. "Come in, come in."

Ashigara was at the Admiral's desk in an instant; she didn't even bother to acknowledge Nagato besides shoving past her to get attention. "We have a _very_ serious problem."

The Admiral was looking down at the maps on her desk and misjudged how serious her former secretary was. "Already told you, I can't get you a da-" And then she glanced up. Stunned by the emotion in Ashigara's eyes, she dropped the joke. "What? What happened? Nobody radioed in. I thought everything went okay. You didn't run into-"

"I didn't radio in because I didn't want Amagi to hear it."

"Oh. Well." They could almost see her blood turn to ice. She turned to the two battleships with a tight-lipped smile. "We're gonna need a minute."

"Okay. We'll be outside." Mutsu took her sister by the wrist and led her out of the office, gently closing the door behind them.

Ashigara let her commander have it the moment they were alone. "Amagi is _insane_. Do you hear me? She captured two Chi-class cruisers, blew their arms off, and wanted to bring them back as trophies! They were still alive! What was she planning on doing with them? And Hatsuyuki and Akebono… they're probably scarred for life! Hatsu wouldn't stop crying the whole way back! Akebono..." Her rant began to lose steam. "I…"

"Uh, Ashi?" the Admiral asked as she started to cry. "What else happened?"

"She executed them. Right in front of us, as if it was nothing. She still has their heads," she concluded, hiding her eyes as she struggled to collect herself. Silence, so long she had to move her hand and see what happened. "Admiral?"

"Ashi, uh..." The blonde removed her cap with a frown and set it aside. Her eyes darted to a stack of folders on the cabinet in the corner. "Amagi is just like that. There's not really anything I can do."

Dumbfounded, Ashigara snapped at her again. "You can order her to stop!"

There was something very wrong with the Admiral. Her demeanor was almost timid; Ashigara couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her act this way. "I mean, I could try, but I'm not sure she'll listen."

"Are you _afraid_ of her?"

Now it was the blonde doing the snapping. "No!" They stared at each other awkwardly. "We're stuck with it. She just transferred in, and we _really_ need the help. I can't defend this area with just two battleships and four carriers." Ashigara's face said her reasoning fell flat, but there was nothing she could do. "Don't look at me like that, Ashi. I'm stuck. Maybe when Akagi gets back, she can talk to her. Or something."

That fell flat too, but Ashigara crossed her arms and decided to endure. "I'm keeping her away from the destroyers," she stated gruffly.

The Admiral slipped her cap back on with a sigh. "Yeah, good idea. I'll go see 'em later. They probably need a hug."

"Oh, they're not the only ones," Ashigara assured her, trembling as she remembered the vacant stares of the heads Amagi carried.

* * *

To placate Ashigara's concerns, the Admiral agreed to speak with Amagi that evening and try to get her to ease off the brutality. Fortunately, she came in lacking any body parts that weren't her own. "Oh. I see you stopped carrying the heads around."

Amagi adjusted the bow in her hair nonchalantly. "Akashi is making display stands for me."

"That's..." The Admiral stopped short and looked to the side, mumbling, "That poor girl."

"She doesn't know what I want them for, unless Yuubari has told her. I assume you wanted to speak with me about my behavior at sea?"

Arms folded, the Admiral screwed up her courage and went the imposing route. "Yeah. You scared the hell out of Hatsu and Akebono and that pisses me off, so stop."

"Hmm. I'll just decapitate them straight away next time."

"Wh—that's not what I meant!" she yelled, standing up. "No trophies!"

Ooyodo's head popped through the open office doors before Amagi could reply. "Excuse me, ma'am? Kaga and her fleet have returned."

The Admiral looked over, eyes wide with surprise. "Huh? They're a day early. What's going on?"

"Houshou had engine trouble. They decided to return rather than risk her coming back by herself."

"Damn!" Lost in her own thoughts for a moment, the Admiral didn't notice the subtle changes in Amagi's eyes until looking back up at her. "...oh. Yeah. Uh, we'll pick this up later. You can go see Akagi."

Absolutely blank-faced, Amagi turned and walked out of the office no quicker than usual. As she passed through the front door and got outside, there were four women emerging from the dock building. Two of them were dressed like archers – and, in fact, had specialized chest plates on. They lingered while the other two ladies moved off toward the wharves. Amagi crossed the road to meet them. She already knew which was which despite them having their backs to her. Some spark in her mind saw to that.

"Things were going so well," Akagi lamented as she drew closer, while idly examining her longbow. "And the weather was perfect! What a shame. I hope Houshou is all right."

Kaga sounded much less cheerful. "Unryuu still has a few things to learn." She noticed Amagi first and raised an eyebrow. "Hello? Who are-" On further inspection, the resemblance to her carrier partner took her breath away. "What in the world?" she asked louder, turning around.

"Hmm?" Akagi followed her lead and made eye contact with Amagi. "Oh! A new face! Hello! I'm Ak-" Silence fell as she realized she may as well have been looking into a mirror.

"We already know each other," Amagi said, her tone as gentle as it had been all day.

No words would come to Akagi. The only sound she made was a choked sob before she dropped her bow onto the grass and stepped closer. She tried to speak again and got nothing. Instead, she clamped onto Amagi in a hug and began to bawl. "Sister?!" she finally screamed. "When? _How_?!"

The battlecruiser patted her on the back a few times. "I missed you too. How have you been?"

Akagi snorted obnoxiously to get air. Her mind traveled in a hundred different directions all at once. "Forget me, when did you—how did—I'm so happy to see you!"

"It's a long story."

Off to the side, Kaga eyed their reunion with equal parts shock and pleasure, though that was caused almost solely by Akagi's happiness. "Amagi. _The_ Amagi," she breathed, making the connection at last.

What she couldn't figure out was how she was standing here.


	3. Take Two

"You know, Akagi, this would go faster if you weren't being so..." the Admiral trailed off while staring at the sisters, who were standing before her desk. Akagi was draped all over Amagi like a weeping cloak, although the latter didn't seem to mind. "Clingy. Super clingy."

Akagi couldn't care less – in fact, she only tightened her embrace from behind. "I will bite you if you tell me to leave." Off in the corner, Kaga shook her head silently.

Her visceral tone made the Admiral's brows raise with surprise. "Wow. Snippy. I'm just thinking you could stand right _beside_ her and let her finish debriefing me." The carrier yielded at length, grumbling under her breath. She grabbed Amagi's left hand and held it. "See? Okay. Amagi, you were saying?"

She concluded her report flatly. "There were five Chi-class torpedo cruisers. No other enemy ships. Ashigara found some resources. No one in our fleet was damaged."

"Huh. Pretty light fleet to protect a deposit. They must not have known and those cruisers were scouts." The Admiral wrung her hands. "They just keep getting closer."

"We're going to need more carriers," Kaga interrupted. "The enemy will just focus Akagi and I down if we don't obtain more air power."

Amagi was suddenly hit with the possibility of seeing Akagi sink again. It made her clench both hands. Akagi noticed the tightening of her grip and looked over. "What?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing." Amagi looked back to their commander. "Is that all?"

The Admiral nodded and rose from her chair. "Yeah, for now. Don't forget we what talked about earlier." And suddenly Akagi was clamped all over the battlecruiser again. "...this is cute. Somebody take a picture." She looked to Kaga to pry them apart.

A task she accepted reluctantly, walking over and tapping her partner on the shoulder. "We'd better go get some rest."

"Nooooooo," she whined.

Exactly the reply she expected, but Kaga pressed her. "Akagi, please. She'll still be here in the morning."

"But what if this is a dream?"

Both Kaga and the Admiral were a little heartbroken, but the blonde's emotion was a lot more visible. Amagi simply pinched her sister on the shoulder, causing her to yelp. "I don't think you're dreaming."

Akagi pinched her back and kept hugging. "That was mean."

Kaga tapped her shoulder again. "Akagi, please."

"Fine!" With a huff, she let go and started for the door, but her emotions got the better of her and she turned back. "I haven't seen her in so long. You wouldn't understand."

Once she walked out of the office, however, Kaga's eyes narrowed. "How _dare_ you," she murmured under her breath, moving after her.

Amagi watched her go before looking back at the Admiral. "I never thought I'd see her again."

"Yeah. You know, if nothing else, maybe you should tone it down for her sake, huh?"

"If she asks… maybe," Amagi replied, turning on her heel and also walking out.

* * *

Distant, fuzzy noise invaded Amagi's empty mind as she slept. With each passing second it became harder to ignore, until finally it began to take shape as words – or rather one word. "Amagi!" Over and over again, louder and louder. It snapped her into consciousness. Her room was dark – the clock said 5:36 AM – so who was yelling at her over the radio? "Yes?" she muttered groggily, unable to place the voice.

"Oh, there you are! I'm sorry for waking you, but we've got a little bit of a situation." This voice was most assuredly not Ooyodo – it was a little higher pitched and way too cheerful. "Could you please report to the Admiral's office right away?"

She slipped out of bed and searched for her red hair bow. "Fine. Who are you?"

"I didn't intro—goodness, forgive me. My name is Atago. I'm sort of in charge of the base at night."

"I see." Next she started grabbing her clothes, which were haphazardly strewn about on the eggshell-colored carpet. "I'm on my way."

After getting dressed, Amagi wandered out into the early morning. The headquarters building was a glittering diamond in the inky night, although the east had a faint bluish-gold tint along the horizon. As for the rest of the base, it still seemed to be asleep. On the way down she ran into Ashigara, who was still a sleepy mess. "Unnnh… what's going on?" the cruiser asked between yawns.

"I'm not sure. I only received orders to report."

"Same here." Ashigara tried fruitlessly to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Must be serious if the Admiral is awake at _this_ hour. I wonder who else she called."

Her question was partially answered just after they reached the lobby; Akagi and Kaga came in right behind them. Somehow the carriers were much less disheveled than Ashigara, who grumbled with displeasure. Akagi immediately ran over to her sister with a mile-wide grin. "Good morning! Oh, your hair is a mess." She fussed with the placement of Amagi's red bow for a moment. "There. What's going on?"

The battlecruiser just shrugged. Ashigara, moving past, watched them for a moment. "Huh. They're close already," she mumbled to Kaga.

Kaga's brown eyes narrowed slightly. "I noticed."

Inside the Admiral's office, they found her, lightly banging her head on the desk and groaning. "What is sleep?" she whined. "And why am I not getting any of it right now?" She regarded them with bleary-eyed grumpiness. "Where is Nagato? She was here and then she was like 'I must go inform the docks!' and now I don't even remember what my own name is, much less what's going on."

"Your name is Shirona, and wow." Ashigara crossed her arms "If I didn't know you, I'd report you for incompetence."

"Uh huh." Shirona managed to reverse-slump into a more upright position, although she ended up staring at the ceiling. "The base north of us reported Abyssal ships headed their way – of course, most of their ships are in repair 'cause they just had some big operation or something. I dunno. I don't keep up with this shit." She stopped to regard their stares of disbelief – even Akagi, stuck to her sister's side like glue, eyed her commander with vague surprise. "What? You know me."

"Yes, Admiral," Kaga confirmed with a furrowed brow. "We do."

They stared at each other for a few seconds. "Anyway, since Amagi here is faster than Nagato or Mutsu, I'm sending her to reinforce the northern base. You all get to tag along and see if my composition for this fleet actually works."

Akagi was thrilled with the idea. "Our first battle together! I'm so excited." She blinked when Ashigara and the Admiral gave her strange glances. "What? I can be excited."

They knew better, but neither was willing to burst her bubble. "Yes. Yes you can. Moving on." Ashigara slapped herself lightly to chase off the last vestiges of her lethargy. "Where are the kids?"

A tremendous moaning sound from the hallway outside drew their attention. Ashigara walked over to look and found Akebono with a groaning Hatsuyuki supported on her left shoulder, urging them both along at a snail's pace. "Come on… sleepyhead… we gotta..." Akebono trailed off and looked up at the cruiser. "Help."

And she did, taking Hatsuyuki and assisting her into the office. "I won't argue with you this time," she said lowly. "It's too early for this."

"Hey, we're all here." Shirona hopped out of her chair and began to pace. She noted the distance those two destroyers put between themselves and Amagi with a tiny sigh. "Deploy ASAP and assess the situation. I'll have Nagato and Mutsu in a fleet with our other carriers on standby if you need reinforcements." They filed out, but Amagi and Akagi lingered a moment. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," a chipper Akagi replied. Her sister yawned a bit. "You're not a morning person, are you?"

Amagi's reply, though mumbled, was as blunt as a hammer. "'Person' is being a bit generous." While Akagi gave her a curious look, she walked out, forcing her to follow – and to distract her from asking what that meant.

* * *

Within an hour the fleet was underway, the sunrise to their right as they powered north over choppy seas. Ashigara, not Amagi, was in the lead, with the two destroyer kids flanking her on either side. The battlecruiser occupied a central position, just ahead of Akagi and Kaga in the rear. "We should have eaten breakfast!" Akagi called – she was in the process of doing just that, having to speak around a mouthful of food and bauxite. "Not a good idea to fight on an empty stomach!"

"Your stomach is _never_ empty," Ashigara teased over her shoulder. "After we're done saving their butts, maybe the northern base will let us dock for lunch?"

Akagi cackled lowly to herself. Kaga, sailing to her port side, seemed a little more humorless than usual. "Hmm? Kaga? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Despite her flat tone, Akagi knew this was an outright lie, but she wasn't sure how or if to press her on it while they were at work. Instead, she dipped over and gave her a light pat on the shoulder, with a smile attached. Kaga smiled faintly back at her. This was enough permission for her to move up and sail alongside her sister. "I can't believe you escaped the earthquake," she commented. "I thought… I thought for sure..."

She couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence – the pain was too great. Amagi understood the cloud in her eyes and looked down.

Reality perked her up again. "Forget that. You made it here and that's what counts. What was your time in limbo like?"

A slide show of awful images flashed through Amagi's mind, the foremost and most devastating of which was her sister on fire and listing in her original form. Unable to express her misery, her jaw set and she crossed her arms.

Akagi blinked. "You don't want to talk about it?"

"I really don't."

Her brow furrowed with worry. "Maybe now isn't the time anyway." But she couldn't let it go completely. "We'll pick this up later."

A brash voice abruptly trickled through all their heads, broken and hardly discernible. "Uh, hello? Atago, man, you gotta boost the power. Come on."

"Admiral?" Ashigara asked out loud, tapping the side of her head. "I can barely hear you."

"Atago! Do the thing with the switches! Press the buttons!" Her words became abruptly more clear. "How's this?"

The cruiser stopped rapping her skull and nodded. "Five by five. Missing us already?"

"I just had a chat with the Admiral in charge up north. Looks like the enemy saw you guys coming. They're turning to engage you."

"How?" Kaga muttered to herself. "I didn't detect any aircraft..."

"Could be subs, who knows. I'm keeping some girls in reserve for our own defense. Not that I'm thinking they'll get that far, just, you know. Be careful."

Ashigara swayed from side to side, grinning like mad. "Aren't you just the sweetest. We'll have this wrapped up by noon. Go back to bed."

"Do _not_ tempt me. I'm out. Good luck."

"Contact," Akebono blurted out. "Dead ahead. Can't get a fix on range." She waved at Amagi to sail forward. "Hey, you're tall as hell, use your rangefinders."

With a nod, the battlecruiser wandered through their formation. The moment she got up front, two somethings lit up for her internal sensor suite. "I see them. Range ten miles. Two boats. No… three boats. I'll launch a scout."

"We shall launch fighters," Kaga added, drawing an arrow from her quiver. A little cloud of tiny airplanes sprang from her arrow after she fired it, ascending into the morning sky. Amagi's float plane lagged behind them somewhat. "What about our formation?"

Amagi crossed her arms in thought. "I can't rule out a sub attack before we reach our surface engagement. Diamond for now. Let the carriers take the center spots. I'll bring up the rear." With Hatsuyuki and Akebono on the edges and Ashigara out front, they charged toward the unknown vessels.

"Someone hail them," Akagi said while notching another arrow. "It's still a little dark. My pilots are having problems with identification." Her eyes widened a bit when she saw a puff of flame from one of the unknowns, followed shortly by the unmistakable report of cannon fire. A torrent of tracers blasted skyward from all the mystery ships after a few more seconds. "Well. Never mind me. They're shooting at my planes."

As if a final confirmation, shells splashed down in the middle of their line, though all of them missed. "My fighters are engaged with scout aircraft," Kaga advised calmly. "They report at least two heavy cruisers."

"Good, then they'll be slow." Akebono dropped a spread of torpedoes and sailed off to starboard, her eyes on Ashigara and Amagi. "You two gonna start shooting?"

"Worry about your own fight," Amagi replied coolly. Thanks to her binoculars, she could now see the enemy ahead – a Ha-class destroyer with a pair of Ne-class heavy cruisers, all steaming right at them. "Here they come." She glanced down at her turrets and mumbled. "Load high explosive."

"Hatsu! Follow me!" Ashigara yelled, opening fire and turning hard to port. "Drop your torpedoes and start shooting!"

The destroyer fumbled with both her adrenaline and her gun turret for a few seconds before obeying. "Tor-torpedoes away..."

In the rear, Akagi and Kaga had their hands full with big picture battle management – and making sure their planes had the right equipment for the task. From their bows they launched a flurry of bombers into the air, laden with torpedoes and bombs. "This seems a bit much for only three ships," Akagi remarked while notching another arrow.

"Better overkill than no kill," Kaga replied. "And we don't know what else is out there."

"Fair point." She fired an arrow off to the side, tracking it after it become a pair of torpedo bombers. "I'll have them look around, just in case."

Up ahead, Amagi still had yet to fire her guns. She closed the distance at full speed until one of the Ne-class broke off to focus on her. "Akebono!" she yelled.

The destroyer knew exactly what she wanted: for her to move out of her firing arc. "Yeah!" she yelled back, dropping into a line astern position and opening fire with her own guns. Finally, Amagi let loose, the noise of her main battery so loud that Akebono couldn't help but flinch. "Damn." She watched the shells fly off. Four of them struck the enemy and exploded, engulfing her in a billow of orange flame and black smoke. Most of the Ne-class came out the other side, but she was missing parts and trailing fire. A few seconds later, one of her gun turrets exploded and she began to take on water. "Nice sh-" She fell silent suddenly as her eyes landed on bubbles in the water, drawing a line in her direction. "Torpedoes! Turn!"

Amagi snapped her head back to find them and started to weave once she had. Her main guns were still loading, but her secondaries were putting down a hail of steel on the approaching Ha-class destroyer. Unlike its Ne-class sisters, this vessel was more or less an elongated black mass with an open mouth full of grotesquely large human teeth. It launched another spread and darted away, suffering a few light hits from Amagi's little cannons.

Akebono, however, scored a direct hit on its stern, slowing it to a crawl. "Woo!" she hollered, firing again. This time, something inside the Abyssal exploded with a bright flash. "Oh, so that's where your magazine is. Heh."

"Hmm." Amagi finished dodging the torpedoes and brought herself around to find the last Ne-class. She was some distance away, being circled by Hatsuyuki and pelted with shots from Ashigara. She exploded with a mighty boom after another salvo from the cruiser and began to sink. "Only three ships? I'm suspicious."

"Yeah, the Abyssals don't scout with heavy cruisers..." Akebono peered through the smoke and haze suspiciously. "There better not be subs around here." Both girls looked up as Akagi and Kaga's aircraft began speeding in one direction. "They musta found something."

"Let's go see." Amagi, said, leading the charge after them.

They were soon caught up by Hatsuyuki. "Come back!" the destroyer yelled. "The carriers-"

Her warning was too late. The Abyssal ruse had worked perfectly. Their fleet was now pinched between three Ne-class coming from the west – the enemy ships their carrier aircraft had seen – and six Ri-class, the other variety of enemy heavy cruiser, steaming in from the southeast. These six vessels put Akagi and Kaga in serious danger.

"Kids, mom needs help!" Akagi shrieked, sailing backwards and firing her bow as fast as she could. Her planes swarmed back toward her at top speed, but the enemy was already firing their main guns at her. "Oh no, oh no, oh no..."

Kaga's teeth were bared in concentration. "Get away from me," she hissed, launching a dive bomber arrow right at a Ri-class' face. "Recover your aircraft! I still have a few arrows left!"

Akagi frantically shook her off. "No! I'll just—I'll have them fly around and distract their guns. Maybe it'll buy us some time."

Ashigara split them, moving in the opposite direction and already opening fire. "What the hell? There's a fight happening and I'm not in it? Yeah, no. You two get back."

"We need a window to recall our planes," Kaga told her as she sailed past. "Where is everyone else?"

She had to wait until her guns stopped firing to answer. "Akebono and Amagi are on the way back, just maintain heading. Watch out for friendly torpedoes – Hatsu's trying to stall the other force coming in from the west." Her focus went back to the enemy. "Erm… I might need a plan for this."

"Ashigara, could you please try _not_ to die for once?" Akagi asked. "Follow us back! Shoot and scoot! Run and gun! Whatever you gunboats call it!"

"Not a bad idea." Ashigara fell in with them, firing to her rear. Return fire splashed all around them. "Uh oh, they've got our range..."

They had more than that. More shells rained down, but these were a tighter grouping and didn't fall short. Kaga took three of them, screaming in pain with the impact. Her equipment began to smoke. "Mi-minor damage," she stated calmly, though her face contorted with every breath. "Engine room, report. Oh… no damage. Fine. Let's keep moving."

Akagi did enough panicking and screaming for the both of them. "Kaga! No!" She was out of arrows, however, and her planes were only just now beginning to return. "What am I supposed to do?!"

"This is bad!" Ashigara admitted at last, her guns firing as fast as they were loaded. "There are too many of them and not enough of me!"

Akebono suddenly exploded from the smoke, darting between the bigger girls and throwing herself at the enemy with a tinny roar. After dropping her torpedoes, she turned back to join them. The enemy focused their fire on her for a moment before breaking formation to evade. "Come and get it, you pasty bitches!" While her bravado earned them a brief rest, there were suddenly shells coming at them from the other direction. "Okay, now..." They all watched as the rounds flew over and landed amongst the swerving Ri-class. "...what?"

Some moments were needed for a full answer. Amagi slipped into view with her barrels re-angling for the next shot. She had two white-haired heads under one arm and Abyssal blood splattered across her face. There wasn't much need to analyze the situation as far as she was concerned, since Akagi was still crying from her initial burst of panic.

That was enough. Everything had to die. Amagi sailed past her allies without a word – her only interaction was a look at her sister to make sure she hadn't been hit. Two of the enemy cruisers, trying to shoot her, nearly struck Akagi instead. "Agh!" she screeched. "Stop shooting at meeee!"

There had been, up to that point, the remnants of a crazy smile on Amagi's face. Her sister's yelling finished it off. Ashigara said something to her, but she didn't hear it; her entire focus was on the nearest Ri-class, at which she pointed all of her main guns. At this sort of range, her fate was sealed the moment Amagi fired.

"I guess that leaves five," Akebono said, wincing at the massive explosion. "Hey, old lady, let's hit these two to starboard."

Ashigara glanced back at the carriers before nodding. "All ri—I'm not old!"

This left Amagi with three more to fight, although Akagi had found the time and sense to recover her planes since enemy fire was no longer coming her way. "Hold on!" she yelled at her sister. "I'm equipping dive bombers! Just, just a moment!"

Amagi didn't hear that either, of course; there was another Ri-class ahead trying to run away and fire at her. Her secondary guns whittled away at the Absyssal's propulsion until she could catch up. Once she got there, she chose not to shoot, but to punch the Ri-class in the jaw. Her strike landed with a vaguely metallic clang. It left the enemy floating unconscious. Up ahead, the other two enemies were sailing her way to try and help, but they received a face full of high explosive shells for their effort. One succumbed to turret explosions; the other, while not heavily damaged, no longer wanted to fight and tried to flee, screaming all the way. Unfortunately, she ran right into Ashigara and Akebono, who took a moment out of their own fight to attack. An air-dropped torpedo finished off the straggler – Akagi had planes up at last, buzzing around the ship girls at low altitude. Her dive bombers finished off the Ri-class Amagi had left unconscious in her wake. With the pair Ashigara and Akebono were fighting already sunk, the three of them pincered the last Abyssal.

It was the battlecruiser that reached her first. She grabbed a handful of black hair and held the Ri-class from behind, but did nothing else.

"Amagi," Ashigara said warily. "Please don't..."

"Please don't what?" Akagi asked, feeling brave enough to put herself between the last enemy and Kaga. The din of battle was gone, replaced by an awkward silence. Ashigara seemed to be its biggest source. "What? Did I miss something?" Only now did she see the heads Amagi carried. "What is-"

"Perhaps you shouldn't watch this." Amagi turned her back on everyone, tightening her grip on the Ri-class' hair. The barrels on one of her outboard turrets rose until they couldn't go any higher. "Shoot at her, will you?" she whispered to the Abyssal in her grasp. With a grunt, she drove her head down firmly, piercing her eye with one of the guns until it sank halfway into her skull. "Not a good idea." There wasn't much need to look back – she could almost feel their horrified stares. "I said you shouldn't watch this," she repeated loudly, before ending the Ri-class' flailing screams with a high explosive shell. That thunderous boom was the last sound of note for a long while.

"Are you _insane_?" Kaga finally asked, indicating the heads under the battlecruiser's right arm. "Throw those away."

Amagi paid her no mind at all. "Hatsuyuki?" she called over the radio. "Our fight is over. Where are you?"

"C-coming back… couldn't catch her. I got hit a few times. My propulsion feels weird."

"It's fine. We'll wait for you here." Amagi tuned her transmitter with the hair bow in order to report to the northern base.

"Amagi!" Akagi yelled. "You're not taking those with you! No! It's disgusting!"

She was ignored too. "District Seven, do you read? This is Amagi, flagship Tenth Fleet, District Four. Two enemy fleets repelled. We've taken some damage. Request permission to dock." Her brow furrowed at the response. "I see. We'll just head home, then." Amagi turned around to issue orders. The expressions on their faces ranged from Akagi's jaw-slackened horror to Akebono's awkward, sideways stare. "We'll get underway as soon as Hatsuyuki shows up." She met eyes with her sister and frowned, wiping some of the blue fluid off her face in hopes it would alleviate her disgust. "I know. I need a bath."

* * *

The damage to Kaga and Hatsuyuki slowed their return quite a bit; it was noon by the time the islands came into view. As they arrived at the dock, the Admiral was there to greet them – or, rather, to make a scene about their wounds. "My babies!" she cried from the catwalk, wide-eyed with shock. "What happened?!"

"A pincer movement," Kaga said calmly. "Ashigara and Amagi saved us. I'm fine." She tracked the Admiral's run from the catwalk, to the floor, and all the way into a half-tackle, half-hug. "Ungh. Admiral, please. It's nothing."

"Shush. I'll hug you if I want." Then she noticed Hatsuyuki's scuffed-up equipment and gasped even more dramatically. "Hermit princess! How?!"

"Got shot. Can I go to my room-" She grunted loudly when the Admiral pounced on her in an embrace. "...ow."

As before, Amagi departed the moment her weapons were lifted clear. This time, however, she had Akagi to scold her. "Amagi! You can't seriously be taking-"

"Let me have my souvenirs," the battlecruiser replied evenly, walking up the stairs.

"What is wrong with her?" Akagi muttered to herself. "Admiral-" Now she was the target of some awkward staring from the destroyers, Ashigara, and the Admiral. "I don't like the way you're all looking at me." Her eyes lit up. "...you knew, didn't you?"

"Ah, well," the Admiral said, tacking on a nervous chuckle as she stepped away from Hatsuyuki. "Erm."

Akagi placed her hands on her hips and glared hard. "Thanks for telling _me_! Unbelievable!" Her emotion softened quickly. "Why does she do things like that? Did she talk to any of you about it?" Her lips pursed when the Admiral shook her head. "She and I are going to have a chat later."

"Perhaps it's just her way of coping," Kaga said lowly. "I'm going to the baths. My back hurts."

But Akagi didn't bother her sister – in fact, no one did for some time. This was enough of a chance for her to safely store her souvenirs in her quarters. Four cases lined one of the eye-level shelves in the common area, each containing a severed head. They faced the door; anyone opening it would see them more or less right away. She stared into the foggy eye of one of the Chi-class's heads and frowned. "You and I..."

It sounded like someone ran into her door instead of knocking. After getting over the start it gave her, she made it to the door just in time for whoever it was to knock properly. When opened, it revealed Akagi. Her eyes went right past Amagi and to the shelf full of trophies. "Amagi! Are you serious?"

The battlecruiser regarded her blankly. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Akagi pouted at her, arms crossed. "Come on. I'm going to go visit Kaga. You and I are going to discuss this… thing while we're there." She looked at her sister's gray dress and sighed. "At least that's clean, anyway."

Amagi pursed her lips slightly. "If you insist." She stepped out into the hall and waited for Akagi to go.

Which she did, after a moment. "I have to make a stop on the way. We managed to build a new carrier and I want to say hello. You won't believe her name!"

"Oh?"

A little smile bent Akagi's lips. "Her name is Amagi too. Isn't that funny?" Had she turned to see, she would have found no humor at all in Amagi's clenched-teeth countenance; instead she worked off her silence. "I thought it was funny."

"Perhaps I don't have your sense of humor," Amagi muttered coldly.


	4. One Too Many

This other Amagi wasn't much to look at – although perhaps she was being a little biased. Clad in a green kimono and with long brown hair, the carrier version also wore a hair ornament; above her left ear, in more or less the same place as herself, was a red hibiscus. Her demeanor was, at least to the battlecruiser, incredibly timid.

But that was overcome by some serious fan-girling. "It's such an honor to meet you!" she exclaimed, taking Akagi by the hands. "I've heard so much about Carrier Division One. You're a legend!"

She blushed with the flattery. "No, no, don't say that. We're just doing our jobs." The awkwardness flowing from her sister was nearly palpable, but Akagi elected not to address it.

The other Amagi, however, forced her hand. "Ah, who is this, though? You look so alike… sisters? I don't remember you having a sister. Did I miss something?"

"Oh. Ah, well?" Akagi looked over as her sister crossed her arms. She winced with nervousness.

"I am the battlecruiser Amagi," she stated plainly. "The _first_ Amagi."

Carrier Amagi, a hand over her mouth, approached with some emotion close to reverence. "Oh my, but… I thought… no, never mind. It's not important. It's an honor to meet you as well." She also took her hand, but only one, and found it colder than Akagi's. "I'll, I'll, ah..." She was clearly trying to think of something fancy to say, but the imposing presence before her killed any chance of that.

Akagi stepped in to save her from herself. "You still need to have your fitout assembled, right?" she asked, indicating the olive duffel bag near the new girl's feet. "Kaga is waiting for me, anyway. I'll stop by your room and let you know when the Admiral wants to see you."

"A-all right! Thank you, Miss Akagi!" She nodded to both of them and grabbed her luggage – the weight of which caused her to toddle away in a lopsided fashion, squeaking with surprise as she repeatedly caught herself.

"She seems nice," Akagi remarked with a smile. Her comment was met with stony silence. "Amagi – hrm. I need to call you something else now, I guess." Her eyes searched for an appropriate nickname. "Sister. Yes. Is something bothering you?"

Amagi started off for the bathhouse. "It's my name."

Relative to all the other possibilities, this one was almost a relief. "It still is your name. You and her are totally different."

And what did that mean? Amagi squinted into the distance. "Hmm. In more ways than one."

"I'm listening. If you want to talk, I mean."

Did she? Would it even matter? Had it been anyone else, Amagi would have blown them off without a word. She found herself unable to do it to her sister. If anyone deserved to know, it _was_ Akagi. So Amagi relented. "I watched the whole thing."

A little part of Akagi knew what she meant already, but… "What thing?" she asked, running her hand over her hair to keep the wind from throwing it into her face.

"The war."

"Right." She looked over to see Amagi downtrodden, or at least very close to it. "You're not like the rest of us, are you? You sound... different."

"No, I'm not." What else could she say? Things were beginning to get uncomfortable for her; visibly so, in fact, as Akagi noticed and took her by the hand as they walked. "What?"

"You saw me sink?" Despite her question, there was a little smile on her face.

Amagi couldn't match it. She couldn't even maintain eye contact. "Yes. I saw everyone sink. Even the little one before the war."

"Oh, Miyuki." Akagi hugged herself with her free arm. "We all bounced around out there for a little while, didn't we? Just waiting."

Amagi's mind was wandering now. Her heart spoke in its stead. "Tosa chose to die. I didn't."

There was such venom in her words, despite its subtlety, that Akagi snapped her eyes over. "Tosa? I barely even remember her. She was just a… just a presence. A fog around her hull. Like-"

"Like me?" Amagi concluded for her, eyes like diamond. "The planet killed me. It took me from you. I can't kill the planet, so I settled on killing the Abyssal fleet. Call it misplaced vengeance, I guess." Silence. On her sister's face was deep concern. "What?"

"Ah, you know, it's not healthy to be bitter." Relief tinged her words – of all the possibilities, this was probably the easiest to handle. "Maybe you should speak with the base psychologist? Couldn't hurt." The battlecruiser was suddenly tight-lipped. "No, no, no, that's the exact _opposite_ of what you should do. Stop."

"I've said all I want to say." By now they were right on top of the bathhouse anyway, so Amagi used that as an excuse to shirk the topic. "Isn't this it?"

"Well, yes, but..." Akagi peered at her. "Fine. I'm not done with you."

After moving beyond a small lobby, they entered a room full of hot tubs sunken into the teak floor. Kaga had one all to herself in the far left corner. Hatsuyuki occupied one in the opposite corner. Another girl was in a tub near the middle – Amagi didn't recognize this one. She had shoulder-length reddish-brown hair that curled up at the ends.

"Ooi? What happened to you?" Akagi asked as they walked past.

"Nothing. Just trying to stop my shoulders from..." Ooi noticed Amagi and blinked. "...hurting. Hey, the new girl. Come to lop off my head?" She cackled at her own joke; no one else did. "Aw, I'm just kidding. I wish I had rumors that cool swirling around _me_."

"They're not rumors." Amagi ignored her confused grunt and moved on, coming to a stop when Akagi did the same. Unlike her sister, she didn't regard Kaga with a smile. Or with any emotion, really. "I apologize for yesterday."

Kaga gently dismissed it with a wave. "We all fell for it. I'm more angry at myself than anyone else."

"So stern." Akagi sat on the floor and grinned at her. "Feeling better?"

"I wasn't that damaged in the first place," she said, her brow furrowed. Her eyes went to Amagi, looming over them both in silence as she stared off. "Curious."

"Huh?" Akagi glanced between them a few times. "What's curious?" It became quickly apparent that neither of them were going to talk. "Goodness, must you _both_ be so stoic?" she grumbled. "One is bad enough." Her partner's sideways look drew a giggle. "Don't you glare at me. Go ahead, sister. I'm sure you don't want to listen to two old flat-tops babbling."

Amagi cocked a brow at her, but shrugged and took the chance to leave. Ooi, laid back and lounging, watched the battlecruiser depart. "Geez, another Kaga? Don't we have enough frigid chicks around here?" she quipped.

While Akagi giggled again, Kaga simply crossed her arms and sighed. "I don't think any of this is very funny. Neither would you, if you'd been out there with us."

"Sheesh, you're snappier than usual."

"Kaga… has a point." Akagi poked at her legs and frowned. "The way Amagi takes out her frustrations is a little worrying."

Ooi tilted her head. "Who cares? As long as she aims at the Abyssals, more power to her."

* * *

While Amagi wanted to return to her room and wait out the rest of the day before sleeping, the Admiral had other ideas. As she walked toward headquarters, she caught a glimpse of that _other_ her speaking with Houshou and frowned. "My name," she muttered. It continued to bother her even after reaching the office.

But the blonde wasn't there. There was only Nagato, who shut the door after Amagi entered. "She'll be a few minutes," the battleship advised. "Akashi found out what you're putting in her display cases. The Admiral isn't pleased."

Amagi was entirely unmoved. "I am in trouble?"

"Is she mad at you? Yes. Are you in trouble? I don't know." Nagato arranged a few of the documents on her desk to fill time. "Didn't she order you to stop collecting trophies?"

"I believe she suggested I stop."

This earned her a stern gaze from Nagato. "I'm fairly sure it was an order, so stop it. Akashi has been through enough." They regarded each other silently until Amagi's stare made her too uncomfortable. "Ahem… but besides that, good work. You've certainly proven capable."

Her mind was elsewhere, specifically on the carrier that had stolen – that bore her name. "I wasn't aware there were two of me," she said, still staring at Nagato despite the battleship's refusal to make eye contact.

"Huh?" It only became clear to her after some thought. "Oh, you mean the carrier Amagi? I don't see how you two could be any more different."

The Admiral strode through the door just then, massaging one of her temples. "It only took me ten minutes to get her to stop crying. I'm kinda surprised." She glared at Amagi after sitting down. "Maybe you didn't hear me the first time? Stop headhunting, damn it. I'm not gonna clean up after you again." If she was looking for contrition, Amagi's expression held none. "Am I clear?"

"Yes."

Like Nagato, the Admiral eventually lost her staring contest with Amagi and looked away. "Good. I'm taking Kaga and Hatsu out of the line for now. You should do fine with one destroyer, but I want the group to have two carriers." Why she bothered waiting for a response was anyone's guess; Amagi barely seemed present, much less attentive. "Hey! Wake up!"

The clouds in Amagi's eyes vanished as she looked down. "I _am_ awake. I'm also waiting on you to get to the point."

And so she did. "Yeah. We're short on teachers, so my new carriers are gonna have to settle for operational training. Nagato's fleet gets Houshou and Unryuu. Your fleet gets the other Amagi." Her blue eyes widened with surprised at the battlecruiser's sudden change in expression. "Huh? What?"

" _My_ name," she whispered, before adding at normal volume, "What about Akagi?"

"She stays with you. Your fleet is my fastest combat-ready force; you're gonna see the front a lot. I'm not gonna trust the new girl by herself in that kind of situation. Not yet."

Amagi's face hardened, but she said nothing except, "When will we deploy again?"

The Admiral just shrugged. "Dunno. I'm having Goya do a scouting run at the moment."

"Goya?" Nagato chimed in. "Since when do we have a submarine?"

"She came outta construction just after Amagi number two. Which, I mean, that's nice and all, but damn. Where are my battleships?"

"Am I dismissed?" Amagi asked, her interest in the situation already gone.

She was waved toward the door. "Yeah, yeah. Go on. Just remember, you're on call. Make sure you're ready to suit up."

Once she was in the hallway, however, Amagi stopped walking and contemplated her new fleet mate. The thought caused her face to twist with disgust. "Why should I have to sail with her?" she asked a painting on the wall. "She stole my name."

* * *

Cloistered in her quarters, Amagi stood for hours in silent consultation with the heads of the four Abyssal girls arranged on her shelf. The sun had set an hour ago, but she felt no need to turn on the lights. Darkness enveloped her, a black blanket that helped her think.

No, not think. Her mind held no thoughts, just emptiness. An emptiness reflected in the foggy, lifeless orbs staring back. Gentle rapping from the door broke her concentration. "Yes?" she said over her shoulder.

"It's me." Akagi. "You're not asleep? Don't tell me the lights are broken."

Amagi sighed away her frustration at being disturbed and moved to greet her sister. "What is it?" she asked once the door was out of the way.

Confused, Akagi looked past her for a moment into the blackened room. "Have you—ah, forget it. Goya is back from her rounds." The battlecruiser regarded her with a blank stare. "Uh… we're going to deploy soon. I hope you caught a nap, at least."

"I'll be fine." Amagi stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind her. "What does she want us to do this time?"

Akagi fell in beside her as she started to walk. "Um, actually? I'm not sure. I guess we'll find out in a minute."

Ashigara and Akebono were already in the office by the time they got there. Atago, not Nagato, was manning the other desk. "Hello!" she chirped happily. "Well, look at you two, you're almost twins! How fun."

Carrier Amagi entered next, peeking through the door before moving in quietly. "Am I… early?"

"Blondie will be right back!" Atago assured her. "She's doing—I'm not sure what she's doing. Something important."

There wasn't much time to wonder what. "All right," the Admiral said as she entered. "Sorry for the lack of radio, this one's a bit of a secret. So keep your mouths shut." Her eyes darted between the two Amagi. One seemed nervous, the other vaguely annoyed. "Goya found a couple of enemy carriers not too far from our position. You're the fastest group of girls I have with capital ship firepower, so go kill them. Atago, give them the numbers."

"The enemy fleet appears to be constructed around two Wo-class," she advised with a smile. "I think the Admiral will call it a successful operation if they're sunk. The rest of the fleet seems to be anti-aircraft cruisers."

"Do _we_ have enough air defense?" Ashigara asked worriedly.

"You do now, suckers!" They all turned to see Maya strut into the office, head cocked haughtily. She took a spot beside Akebono and folded her arms. Not a single one of the other girls gave her the reaction she was looking for – Ashigara, especially, just snarled at her. "Don't stare at me. Say something!"

"Your new outfit looks fucking ridiculous," the Admiral said with a snicker. "All right, get going. See you all in the morning. Oh, and Amagi – I mean the big Amagi – remember what I told you _not_ to do."

"I know," she replied before turning to her fleet. "Come on, then."

* * *

They sailed east under a blanket of diamonds. Maya had the maps, and consequently was leading them along with the battlecruiser astern, followed by the rest of their merry band. Amagi the carrier was too nervous to talk. Ashigara and Akebono were uneasy for other reasons. "You sure are quiet," Maya noted. "All of you. Too damn quiet."

"Maybe you talk too much," Ashigara fired back, clearly annoyed at Maya's presence.

"At least I can get a date!"

"I-I'll kill you!" she screamed, sailing closer. Amagi, eyes narrowed, easily held them apart as they threw half-hearted punches that never got close to connecting. "What was Shirona thinking?! Why did she stick you with me?"

"Behave yourselves!" Akagi scolded from the rear. "You're setting a bad example for Akebono!"

"I'm already a bad example," the destroyer corrected her with a grin.

Their scuffle continued, however, until the battlecruiser snapped, "Shut up before I _shut you up_!"

Her warning echoed across the night, bringing silence in its wake. It hit Ashigara hardest – she knew what Amagi was capable of – but Maya lingered a moment before moving to the other side of the formation. Everyone gave Amagi space, but none of them gave more than Ashigara and Akebono. Akagi moved in after a bit. "Sister… are you all right?"

"My name," she mumbled to herself, rubbing her eyes with one hand. "I think I'm sleepy."

"E-excuse me?" the timid Amagi said. "Shouldn't we launch planes? Aren't we close?"

Akagi considered this briefly before agreeing with a nod. "Hrm. Just a few. I don't want my pilots to get lost." She slipped an arrow from her quiver and notched it. "Amagi – I mean, the new Amagi – you search east. I'll look west."

"Y-yes! Right away!" she confirmed, fumbling to get her wand and scroll free of their cases. Once the latter was unfurled, she swung it around, casting aircraft out like magic. "Fighters, away!"

"Hey, guys," Maya called. "I got radar returns… airborne!" Her secondary batteries trained up. "Damn!"

"Terrific..." Akagi breathed, notching and firing arrows as fast as she could. The nervous carrier off her port side had more trouble get planes up; her scroll tangled and twice, she nearly dropped her wand. "Amagi! I could use your help!"

She struggled to free her scroll. "Y-yes, I'm… hold on a moment!" And then, to compound her troubles, she almost fell over. "Eeeek!"

The display made her wince. "Oh boy. Sister! Ashigara! Maya! Go ahead, I'll send a squadron to cover you!"

"I'll stay here," Akebono added, brandishing her guns. "Just in case someone tries to squeeze these guys again."

The idea of leaving that _other_ Amagi to help guard her sister was genuinely disgusting, but there was a war to fight. She relented and sailed forth. "Be careful."

In thirty seconds the fight was on top of them. The shadows of Abyssal ship girls drifted along off their bows, lit only by a withering hail of anti-aircraft fire directed toward Akagi's planes. Ashigara began to fire at them, while Maya focused on bringing down an increasing cloud of enemy planes. Amagi helped the former, her main guns turning night to day for an instant as they fired. Those enemy cruisers quickly took a back seat to the problems above – aircraft were _everywhere_. "Hey, uh, guys? We've got a problem!" Maya yelled. "Akagi? Yo?"

"I'm sending them up as fast as I can!" she shouted back. Amagi, meanwhile, had finally righted her equipment and was also launching – but bombers. "No, Amagi! We need fighters right now!"

"O-oh! I'm sorry!"

Dive bombers were already swarming – some of them dropped on Maya as she began to weave crazily. "Gaaaaah! Get away from me you little bastards!" Akagi's fighters swooped in to drive them off, but more appeared. "Oh, come on!"

"Split up!" the battlecruiser ordered. "At least we'll dilute them!"

Ashigara shook her head furiously. "No way! We need our combined air defense!"

"And it'll be easier for us to cover you." Akagi looked over as the nervous carrier finally started to send out the right planes. "Calm down. There are two of them and two of us."

She nodded once, mostly focused on casting her air wing. "Y-y-yes ma'am..."

"Whatever we're gonna do, let's do it quick!" Akebono said, dropping her torpedoes. Some seconds later, there was a tremendous explosion and scream. "Think I got one..."

Once again, the battlecruiser took command. "Then we'll punch through together. Akebono, scout ahead."

"Yep!" She danced through the tracers and falling bombs, firing her cannons almost indiscriminately into the night. Each girl focused on evading attacks and feel silent.

Carrier Amagi, meanwhile, was having trouble directing her aircraft. There was too much going on at once for her to keep track, and unlike Akagi she lacked the training and focus to see her through. The bigger carrier concentrated completely on keeping air cover over the fleet. This left Amagi to cover _her_. For a while, she succeeded – until her fighters needed to return, and she lacked replacements to launch. "Problem! Big problem!"

"What's-" Akagi looked up and, via radio chatter with her pilots, noted a distinct lack of friendly planes. A faint whistling noise reached her ears. "Oh… oh no..."

The others looked back just in time to see a screaming Akagi bracketed by massive sprays of water, her shouts drowned out by the explosions that caused them. She skated toward the rest of the fleet with tears streaming from her eyes.

"Hey, little Amagi!" Maya yelled. "We need cover!"

"I'm-I'm trying!" she shouted back, struggling with her scroll. Fighters launched at a painfully slow pace; all the while, enemy bombers kept deploying their payloads from the darkness above, forcing the ship girls to dodge and weave. Another squadron fell upon Akagi, this time with more success – one of the bombs hit her flush. "Miss Akagi!"

Squealing in agony, Akagi sailed in seemingly random directions, smoke billowing from the machinery on her back. "Put out the _fiiiiiiiiiiiiiire_!" she screeched at her crew.

For her sister, the din and flickering of the fight dropped away around her. Akagi's pain took center stage, took the entire stage, took her very breath away. At first it didn't really register. Then the memory kicked in. The smoke and flames. A listing warship in the middle of the infinite ocean, caught in its death throes. Unlike the first time, though, Amagi was here, and she had just found an entirely new level of rage to fuel her fighting. "Stay with her. All of you. I'm going to stop the planes." Her voice was as calm as the sea beneath their feet.

A tone that left her allies nervous and confused. "Why? Where are you-" Ashigara went quiet as the battlecruiser sailed ahead. "Are you insane?!"

"It doesn't matter if I sink." Via radar, she tracked the retreat of the enemy bombers, which seemed to be heading east. "Stay with Akagi."

Maya tried to convince her otherwise. "You're the flagship! We can't just leave you!" Neither cruiser had a chance to physically stop her, however, as more bombers were coming in. "Damn it!"

"Good luck, scary!" Akebono yelled, moving back to the others.

It seemed suicidal to leave the steel umbrella of Maya's AA guns behind, but something weird happened the farther away she got from the rest of her fleet: the bombers stopped dropping on her. They would fly past, sure, but almost out of curiosity more than anything, darting away when Amagi's secondary guns fired upon them. She had quite literally left the battle behind, and it didn't follow. In the distance were two wispy blue lights. They registered in the night as very large radar returns. Apparently in response to her presence, they began to move around and fire at her, but the shots fell far short and long. In a minute more Amagi was looking at two Wo-class carriers – and they stared back. No one bothered to shoot at each other from this point-blank range. One carrier even felt safe enough to retrieve her planes. "You?" Amagi asked out of the blue, struck by some familiar feeling.

"Wo..." one of them said in return, brandishing her cane as if to attack, but doing nothing further. Even when the battlecruiser aimed at her, she refused to fire. "Wo."

The carrier that had recovered her planes sent them out again. Amagi silently ordered her little guns to take them down. Only now did the two Wo-class become hostile, unleashing a metallic shriek as they started shooting. Their air advantage was almost non-existent with Amagi being so close – in fact, she could engage one carrier with her main guns while her secondaries hit the other. One sixteen-inch salvo blew the nightmarish hat right off the Wo-class it struck, leaving her to flail and dash about as if her hair were on fire… because it quite literally was. The other Wo-class, pelted by small high explosive shells, directed her planes to attack. Amagi snatched her over by the cane and held her like a human shield, forcing her planes to veer off. "I don't like you!" she yelled. "You're too much… I hate you!" Her fist slammed into the Abyssal's back over and over. A sharp crack rang out from some bone she hit, but Amagi kept going.

Planes flying around her dropped into the sea as their controlling carriers died. Their passing went by unnoticed, even though she held one dead Wo-class in her grip and the other had exploded fairly close by. Her fist continued to drive into the lifeless body despite her crew telling her the target was no longer a threat. "I hate you!" she shrieked again.

And this was how her fleet found her, venting rage that should have been long gone by the time they arrived.

* * *

How the Admiral was still awake at this hour was a minor miracle, but she wouldn't go to sleep before her fleet returned. She never did. "Why do you look so grim over there?" she asked Atago, who was clearly listening to a radio conversation.

"Oh, um, Ashigara says there might be a problem with Amagi. The big one. With the guns."

This was unexpected. She titled her head a bit. "Eh?"

Atago shrugged at her. "I'm not sure, she's being kind of vague. Oh, Akagi seems to have been damaged by a bomb, but she's still floating."

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit." Unnerved, she stood up and walked around in aimless circles. "Was anyone else damaged?"

"Hold on." Atago's blue eyes rolled about slowly during her silent chat. "Oh dear. It seems everyone is a little scuffed up except Amagi, ma'am. The big one, I mean."

She stopped walking and stared at Atago. "Wait. If she didn't get hurt, then what's the problem?"

"Dunno. They're coming in now, maybe we should go look?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we should." The Admiral waved for her to follow and strode out of the office. Moments later, they were on the catwalk overlooking the concrete landing inside the dock building. Not long after, the huge door rumbled open to let the ship girls in. Akebono and Ashigara were first with Maya right behind, all of whom sported at least a little visible damage. Akagi was next, her movements gingerly and slow. Her sister helped her along with one hand. Carrier Amagi brought up the rear from a fair distance, and for some reason she was crying. "Hey!" the Admiral yelled. "What happened?"

"We won!" Maya flashed a thumbs up, but her act didn't hold for long. "Uh..." She sneaked a look over at Akagi and her sister. "You might wanna talk to-"

"She almost got Akagi killed," Amagi snapped, causing her namesake to jump with fright.

"Buuuuut she did well once Amagi, er, the first one, drew away all the enemy aircraft," Ashigara interjected. "Ma'am, uh-"

"Atago, make sure these girls get fixed up," the Admiral ordered. She snapped up a gloved hand in the battlecruiser's direction. "Except you. I wanna talk to you."

Amagi followed along, but stopped when she reached the Admiral and watched everyone leave. Unlike them, there wasn't a scratch on her, not a thread of clothing displaced. She was as pristine now as she'd been when the fleet left. "Yes?" she asked curtly.

The sight was incredibly confusing. "No damage at all? How?" A ghostly wisp of smoke drifted away from Amagi's face. "Maybe I spoke too soon. You take a hit in the optics?"

"I wasn't hit at all. The carriers didn't even shoot at me."

Yet there was a distinct, if very faint, trail of _something_ wafting from her eyes. Or eye – the Admiral couldn't tell. Amagi's words brought back a memory of her previous assignment, which yielded to a curiosity, then to a terrifying question that made her ditch her original topic. "Forget it. Follow me back to the office. I need to make a phone call."


	5. Plan B

Nagato trundled into the Admiral's office with a mug in one hand and a file folder in the other, trying to blink away the sleep from her eyes. Fortunately, she found some help in waking up; her commander was already there, along with Amagi. Wondering why chased away her lethargy. "Ma'am? Did you ever go to sleep?"

The Admiral, who was on the phone, shrugged at her. "Nah. I was waiting on these guys to get back." Nobody answered her call, so she replaced the handset and tapped her fingers on the desk. "Amagi, you all right over there? You're quiet."

"Isn't she always?" Nagato quipped on the way to her desk. It hit her too late that the atmosphere was much too serious for her to joke. "Sorry. Did I miss something?"

There existed an unusual, visceral quality in Amagi's tone for once. "That carrier almost got Akagi killed."

"Huh, that reminds me. While we're waiting, I may as well get my debrief." The Admiral plopped down into her chair and sighed. "What happened?"

Amagi turned from the window and stared her down. "We encountered the enemy in roughly the predicted location. Four cruisers of unknown type and two standard carriers, just as you said. My sister launched fighter cover to protect us from bombers. The other carrier had trouble with her equipment and..." That bomb hit Akagi again in her mind. She lurched with revulsion, surprising both Nagato and the Admiral. "She wasn't ready. Akagi could have-" Unable to even finish the sentence, she grimaced and turned back to the window.

Neither of them really knew what to do with her show of emotion. "Uh… look," the Admiral said gently, "Forget it. Just keep going. What happened after that?"

Amagi collected herself in silence for a moment before continuing. "I sailed away from the rest of the fleet in order to make myself a target for the enemy aircraft."

"Make yourself a target? You're a flagship, you can't be so reckless! The entire operation depends on you! Not to mention you're one of our very few capital ships—what if you'd been sunk? Where would we be now, huh?" Nagato chided her firmly. Across the room, however, the Admiral shook her head to stop any further criticism. "Never mind. I just… never mind. Continue."

"They wouldn't bomb me." She looked at them again; Nagato was visibly more confused in her silence than the Admiral. "The carriers didn't attack me either until I fired on them. Why?"

"What?" Nagato looked to the Admiral for clarification. "They didn't attack her?"

She glanced at the phone again with a frown. "Hey, Amagi? How was-" After struggling for a minute for a polite way to frame her question, she gave up and came out with it. "What do you remember about the project?"

"I remember you. I remember some of the other officers. I remember seeing my body from the outside before occupying it." With slow steps, she traced a wandering path around the office. "I remember another like me. At least one."

Nagato felt distinctly out of place and fidgeted in her chair. "Should I be hearing any of this?"

The Admiral waved off her concerns. "Don't worry about it. What about between the time you sank and the time you woke up again?" she asked Amagi.

"I remember..." she trailed off, struggling to recall what it was she recalled. "I felt like just a pair of eyes. An incomplete body with a fractured spirit."

"If I may, how did your spirit survive the earthquake?" Nagato interjected as gently as she knew how. "I heard you were barely halfway through your conversion when-"

Amagi stared a hole in – no, she stared _through_ the floor, gazing at thoughts only she could see. "The planet killed me while was I being born. That is all I remember."

So forlorn was her tone that the Admiral decided to nix the conversation right there. "Okay, okay. I think you've been through enough for one night. Morning. Whatever." She stared at the pre-dawn glow, now faintly apparent through the windows. "I'm so sleepy."

"May I go see my sister?"

"Of course." She jumped as the phone rang. "Gah! Uh… shit. Hold on." There wasn't even time for a hello after she pressed it to her ear – someone was already speaking. The Admiral listened for a bit. "Yeah. Yeah, just a second. Nagato, I need a few minutes."

She hopped out of her seat. "Ma'am. Amagi, I'll take you to the bathhouse, if you'd like."

Once they'd gone, she returned the phone to her ear. "Sir. Oh no, no, she's been stellar in battle. Takes the heads of her victims, though. Kinda weird. Why did I call you?" Brow furrowed, she leaned forward in her seat. "What the hell did you send me, exactly? She's more machine than ship girl." The response made her eyes widen a bit. "Files?" she repeated, searching with one hand through the disaster on her desk. "What files? She didn't bring any files with her. Was she supposed to?" More talking only served to increase her anxiety. "So why are the Abyssals acting weird around her? She met two Wo-class and they-" And then the other person hung up. "Uh. What." Initially, she wanted to call back, but uneasiness stayed her hand. "Hmm..." Her eyes stuck to the open office doors. "The fuck have I gotten into now?"

* * *

The repairs for the others had long since finished; only Akagi remained, submerged to the neck in hot water and waiting. She wasn't alone, however. On her left, tending to her longbow, was Kaga. On her right, lying on the floor and asleep, was her sister. "I'd call for someone to take her to her room." Akagi began with a smile, "but I don't think anyone besides Nagato or Mutsu could lift her. Poor Amagi."

Kaga plucked the string in her bow, not bothering to look over at either of them. "Hmm."

"You're a little more annoyed than usual, I see."

That made her glance up. "I'm not annoyed at all." Silence; she looked at Akagi again, who folded her arms and scowled. "What? I'm not."

"You're going to sit there and lie to me, knowing how well I know you? Really?"

Brow twitching, Kaga carefully set her bow aside and tried to look proper. "What, exactly, gives you the idea that I'm annoyed?"

"Being extra-snippy, for one thing."

She stared at Akagi. "I've hardly said a word."

"And that's another thing. You've been quiet. Even for you. What's the matter?"

"I..." Her gaze crept over to the sleeping Amagi. "Hrm."

"I knew it." Akagi straightened up in the tub and sighed. "She bothers you. Why?"

"It's not so much that-" Kaga stopped short and frowned into her lap, trying to figure out how to frame the statement. "How did she make it here? She wasn't even completed."

Akagi tapped her on the chin to force her to look; when she did, it was easy to see the unhappiness in her eyes. Amagi's existence wasn't the only thing bothering her. "That's not all, is it?"

Kaga, in an attempt to deflect, went back to poking at her bow. Akagi kept watching her until she finally cracked. "No, it's not." Akagi's silent patience only made things harder. "Do I have to talk about this?"

"I'm going to needle you until you do."

After a low grumble, Kaga finally gave up. "Why did you get your sister back but... I didn't?" she asked, voice raspy by the end. She flinched a little when Akagi grabbed her arm with both hands. "You're going to do that thing, aren't you?"

That "thing" was a trembling-lip stare as Akagi tried to glue her broken heart back together. "Let me hug you."

"You're soaking wet."

" _Let me hug you_." Before Kaga could object again, she did it anyway. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't want to ruin your moment," she replied while squirming around to keep her bow dry. "You were happy."

"That's sweet of you, but..." she trailed off, pulling away and looking over at the snoozing Amagi. "Her personality is going to take some getting used to, I guess. It seems so hard to get her to open up."

Kaga allowed herself a tiny grin. "You said that to me once."

"I did, didn't I?" Akagi rubbed her chin in thought. "Remember how I just annoyed you until you had to talk to me? If nothing else, to tell me to get lost?"

This question shocked her a little. "I never told you to get lost."

That earned a giggle from Akagi. "No, but your eyes said it. Sometimes. Kaaagaaa, you have to stop holding things in. Geez. It's not healthy."

That grin got a little bigger. "Yes, mom."

"I'm going to swat you." Akagi stopped smiling and tensed up faintly as her sister began to stir. "A-Amagi?" she asked gently, but the battlecruiser just rolled over onto her other side. "That floor is going to kill her if she sleeps on it too long."

"I wonder where she came from?" Kaga wondered, at last letting her guard down a little. "Do you think… do you..." And then, to Akagi's surprise, she began to sniffle. "Never mind."

The question didn't need to be finished; Akagi knew exactly what it was. "I don't know. Maybe Amagi does?" She looked over at her and sighed. "You should ask after we're done talking to her."

"You're probably right." Kaga tousled her hair and sighed. "She's frightening. Don't tell anyone I said that."

"No, no, I understand. She is a little scary." Akagi let herself sink back into the hot water until coming to rest neck-deep. "I can't figure out why she was beating that dead Wo-class." She allowed herself a shudder. "Actually… I wonder why _she_ isn't a carrier herself? We were being converted when the earthquake happened."

* * *

When she awoke, Amagi found herself in exactly the same situation as she'd been when dozing off – on the teak floor beside the hot tub containing her sister, who was mostly asleep herself. Unwilling to wake her, Amagi pulled her aching frame upright and tried to shake out the cobwebs. "What time is it?" she muttered, searching the steamy air for an indication of the hour. Sunlight streaming through the windows to her left was some indication, but she wanted more accuracy. "Amagi requesting a time check," she said over the radio.

"It's 1446, poi," a voice replied, one she didn't recognize. "Oh, you're awake? How is Akagi? The Admiral wanted to know before she went to sleep, but… well, it's kinda too late for that, poi." Yuudachi paused to giggle. "Oh, yeah, and she wanted to talk to you too."

Amagi raised an eyebrow slightly. "About what?"

"Something about changing fleets. Dunno, poi."

Her mood suddenly dark, Amagi hauled herself into a standing position and tried to stretch away the pain. "Fine. Where is she?"

"She'll be back in the office in… an hour? I think?"

"I see. I'll wait for her there." Assuming her legs would work, that is – even after walking around for a few moments, they were still stiff. Fighting through it, she left Akagi behind and entered the relatively dry atmosphere outside. A few other girls were walking around, mostly destroyers, and every single one regarded her with fearful looks. Even some of the bigger girls reacted to her presence uneasily. Their expressions earned them little notice from the battlecruiser. The Admiral's office was completely empty when she arrived. Not knowing what else to do, she sat down in one of the chairs near the desk and waited.

With no one around to hold her attention, her mind began to wander. It headed right for the night before, the Wo-class in her grip, the beating she gave her. Most of it was a foggy slideshow, but not the initial encounter – no, that was crystal clear in her mind's eye. "So much like me," she whispered. "Why?" Amagi knew she was originally meant to be a carrier; this wasn't the similarity that had her heart on ice. It was something else. Something deep and cold.

Her brain stuck to this thought, and try as she might it wouldn't move on. Before now she had never bothered to question the blank spot between her ethereal observing of the war and her sudden feeling, living existence. There was no way for her to quantify the gap – she knew only that it existed. Unnerved, Amagi turned her gaze to the mess of paperwork on the Admiral's desk.

Here she found fleet reorganization documents; her name was on the header of one. Confused, she took it up and began reading. "Reassignment?" she blurted out. "Why?" A reason was offered further down. "'Working with Akagi may cloud her judgment.'" At least now she had something to fill the hole: anger. "Nagato. This has to be your doing."

"You're right. It was."

Amagi turned to see the old battleship leaning on the door frame, arms crossed and watching her. Nagato straightened up and walked closer. "Why?" the battlecruiser repeated with bared teeth.

"You just read why." Nagato took the file from her and set it back on the desk. "You don't understand how precious a commodity you are for us right now. The Admiral can't defend this entire region with just two battleships and two combat-experienced carriers."

These reasons meant absolutely nothing to Amagi. Only the result was important. "So you're taking me away from my sister?" she asked, fists clenched.

Sure, Nagato expected her to be upset, but not _this_ upset. "In combat situations, yes. That's all."

Amagi mistook her reassurance for flippancy and exploded. "That's all? That's the only time that counts! She's not in danger of dying _here_!"

Hands up, Nagato backpedaled in more ways than one. "I—I didn't mean it that way! I was just saying we're not-"

"I know how fleets work," the battlecruiser hissed lowly.

"All right, all right, I understand you're upset, but this is a strategic decision," Nagato said calmly. "The Admiral agrees with me. You're being put into my fleet."

A brooding Amagi turned away with folded arms. "Is this why she wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes."

"I see." She could feel Nagato's gaze on her but refused to look at her. "If there's nothing else, then I'm going back to Akagi."

Nagato stretched out a hand to stop her. "Hold on. There's, ah… something else I wanted to ask you."

In no mood to answer, Amagi jerked her shoulder away and kept walking. "No."

She asked anyway. "How do you know Admiral Shirona?"

The question caught her just as she'd gotten through the doorway, but Amagi stopped to contemplate it. After a moment, she regarded the battleship with a blank expression. "She worked in the project that created me. Not as a scientist – she's not intelligent in that way. I forget what her role was."

"I see." Nagato proceeded to try and clean up the papers on the Admiral's desk. "Weren't you built like the rest of us?"

Now it was Amagi leaning on the door frame. "You really have to ask?"

"I guess not." She was done rearranging things and looked Amagi in the eye. "Go get your equipment checked out while you have the time. I don't know when we might sail. Might as well be ready."

"If you insist," Amagi replied, disappearing into the hallway.

* * *

To this point, Akashi had been having a decent day. When Amagi strode into the factory, however, her mood went from whistling cheerfulness to a lovely mixture of terror and disgust. "I'm not making anymore of those cases for you," she warned, walking over to meet her. "I can't believe you're… you… ew. Just. Just ew."

Amagi ignored her concern and kept heading for the cranes. "That's not why I'm here. Can you get my weaponry on the crane? Nagato wants it checked out while I have downtime."

"Yeah, fine. Sure. I'll call it over from the complex." Akashi's fingers danced over a number pad on the wall nearby. "At least you're not carrying any heads for once. God."

"They won't let me take them anymore."

The concept made Akashi shudder: she only stopped because someone else made her, not because it was utterly revolting. "I can't believe you. I really can't."

Her reply was surprisingly sarcastic. "I've never heard that before." Amagi looked up as her gear arrived, slinking along the ceiling rail system. She raised her arms to give it room to descend around her, then manually locked the straps and stepped away from the crane. Some of the factory's fairies hopped over to man her turrets for the examination.

As Akashi got to work, Yuubari stepped out from another room. When she saw Amagi, she yelped with fright and turned away. "Oh! Why didn't you warn me?"

Akashi didn't care whether or not Amagi heard their derision. "She just got here."

"Geez." Yuubari kept a considerable distance, skirting around the edge of the factory floor in order to join her friend by the control panel. "What's wrong with her kit?"

"Just making sure nothing _is_ wrong." She noted the battlecruiser staring at the door Yuubari had emerged from a few moments earlier. "What?"

That door was open. Beyond hovered a faint blue glow – light that embraced hopelessly complicated-looking banks of machinery. Some part of her already knew its purpose. "Construction?"

After flicking a few switches on the panel, Akashi glanced over as well. "Yeah. What about it? But Amagi pursued the topic no further, turning her head away and waiting silently for her to finish. It took a minute or two more. "Uh… yeah. All clear. No problems."

The fairies left, the crane came down, and Amagi was freed of her combat burden. Instead of departing the factory, however, she walked toward that door. "Wh-where are you going?" Yuubari asked, pursuing with immensely reluctant steps. "You can't just barge—stop!"

Akashi joined her with faster strides in an attempt to cut off Amagi's path. When the battlecruiser bore down on her anyway, she thought better of it and stepped aside. "Uh, on second thought, I'm not gonna risk getting beheaded over this."

All three of them ended up in the construction room. At its center was the source of the blue light: a clear tube, full of glowing liquid, with a body inside. This form wasn't complete – it lacked a face, even hair – but its limbs moved every so often. They stared at it almost reverentially; even the fairies manning the machines were deliberate in their movements. "So, uh," Akashi began, unable to stifle her curiosity any longer, "what are the construction facilities like back in the capital, huh? We're kinda tiny. Only have this one enclosure."

Amagi had no answer for this – and it bothered her. "I don't know," she said quietly. "I don't remember floating in a tube."

"Wait, huh?" Yuubari rubbed back her dirty hair as she looked over. "You don't? I thought everybody did."

"Yeah. I freaked out when I first gained consciousness in one of these things. Thought I was about to drown." Akashi blinked at the strange glimmer in Amagi's eyes. "Unless they found you at sea. That happens to some of us. I just assumed you'd been built, you know? Never met one of you before."

Now Amagi wondered if this had been Nagato's goal in sending her here all along, but that idea vanished against a more important realization – she knew nothing of her own creation. Where did she come from? Not having the answers rattled her soul. "I should go. I want to check on Akagi."

"Oh, right. See you, or what-" Akashi watched her stride out quickly. Her face screwed up a little. "Never mind, I guess."

* * *

When she returned to the bathhouse, she found Akagi gone, which left her exactly in the one place she least wanted to be: alone with her thoughts. She needed someone, anyone, to talk to, be it her sister or otherwise. The more she contemplated, the more her desperation grew, until finally the sensation became a force that propelled her out into the base. It was evening, now; the complex should have been teeming with activity, yet Amagi found herself the only one on the paved paths.

Then she noticed a blonde woman heading her way. This was the Admiral, out of uniform and yawning up a storm. "Oh, there you are," she said with a wave. "Nagato said she told you about the-" The look on Amagi's face when she got close was confirmation enough. "I will take that as a yes. You wanna yell at somebody? Yell at me. It was my call."

"Did you see me getting built?"

This question was from so far out of left field that Shirona didn't even register it at first. "Huh?" Her brain finally caught up to the subject a few seconds later. "Oh. No, I was basically the office bitch. Why? I didn't think you gave a damn."

Amagi bounced that question with another. "You have suspicions about me, don't you?"

"I do, yes. But they're gonna stay with me for now." Shirona's head tilted as she stepped closer. "What the hell did you and Nagato talk about?"

"Nothing. Do you have any idea when we'll be sent out again?" Amagi asked, knowing where and how she'd find solace.

Shirona had bad news on that front, however. "Dunno. I sent Goya out again just after your fleet got back. Seems like the Abyssals aren't too keen on getting close after what you girls did to their carriers. You bought us some time."

"Oh. I see." Amagi turned away, gazing out at the golden ocean. "That's nice."

"Damn, you act like somebody just killed your cat." Shirona gave her a tentative pat on the arm. "Akagi's cramming her face full of food down in the mess. Go join her. I… you know where the mess is, right?"

"Yes," she confirmed, wandering off.

Shirona watched her for a second, sighed, then continued on toward her destination: the headquarters building. She found her office occupied by four destroyers, all dressed in white tops and blue skirts. "Oh. There you girls are," she said, regarding Fubuki and three of her many sisters with tired eyes.

Fubuki saluted her until the Admiral sat down and actually noticed she was saluting. "Ma'am! Training ran a little long. Sorry. Hatsuyuki kept stopping us so she could put on sunscreen..."

Shirona grinned at her grumpy hermit princess. "I've never met someone who hates the concept of sun tans as much as you, Hatsu."

Her reply was a pout, followed with a muffled "Mrmph."

"What a cutie." There was a sea change in her expression as she leaned forward; it dragged down the pleasant atmosphere. "Miyuki, you look _awful_. No offense."

"I knooooow," she yawned. "I had to do the night patrol too. Fubuki was too tired."

"Right. Isonami, you get a new bow for your ponytail?"

"Oh, um… yes," she said shyly, laying the braid over her shoulder so the Admiral could see it better "Do you like it?"

"Yeah. It's nice." Shirona noticed Hatsuyuki staring at her oddly. "What?"

"Why are you being so nice? Are we in trouble?"

No surprise that she'd see through the act first, but Shirona still muttered unhappily about having to drop it. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so damn observant. No, you're not in trouble, I just need a favor from you all."

"Anything, ma'am!" Fubuki said confidently. "Destroyer Division, uh… whichever number we are now... is ready to go!"

Her eagerness was heart-breaking, but Shirona managed to swallow her misery. "I'm gonna be sending you out with the first fleet from now on in a support role." She waited for their surprised reactions to fade. "Actually, there's something particular I want you guys to do. You know that new battlecruiser?"

"Amagi, ma'am? Nagato and I met her when she got here. She seemed a little, er, weird, if I may say so."

Shirona looked to Fubuki and put on another smile, though it was tinged with sadness. "Yeah. I need you girls to stick close to her fleet and be prepared to scuttle her."


	6. Missing Link (Part 1)

To call it an uneasy peace would have been generous. Every ship in the combat line was nervous to some extent, but Fubuki and her sisters seemed to bear the heaviest burden. None of them would explain why; Akagi settled for watching them like a hawk from the other end of the mess hall as she picked at her immense breakfast. "I wonder what's going on?" she asked.

Amagi, seated across from her and with considerably less food, also looked over at the destroyers. "I haven't been paying attention."

What a surprise. Akagi's lips pursed slightly as she turned back. "The Admiral must know something about… something. I should go talk to her." While she was used to the reply of silence by now, it had a different undertone than usual. "You're still mad that we're not in the same fleet anymore?"

It had been a day, roughly, but the sting of her transfer had lost none of its potency. "Yes."

"Oh, but you're in the first fleet! I've never been in the first. Neither has Kaga. We're so jealous." Akagi's eyes darted upward. "I mean, I'm jealous."

If Amagi were supposed to feel honored by this, it still hadn't sunk in. Her sister's comments did nothing to help. "She split us up."

"Yes, look at how split up we are! There's an entire table between us!" Akagi giggled at Amagi's confused gaze, then again when it shifted to something more annoyed. "Don't pout. You know..." She hesitated, unsure how to express herself about such a serious topic. "May I ask you something?"

Amagi silently nodded her permission.

"Why aren't you a carrier?"

And now Amagi was thrown right back into the other open wound in her psyche. "I got to pick..." she said uncertainly, her mind focused on the missing bits of her creation. "I wanted my original form."

"Oh." Akagi couldn't figure out why there was such pain in those steely eyes. "I shouldn't have asked? I'm not insulted or anything. I was just curious, really."

"I'm not mad at you." But she _was_ mad; her anger, however, had so many targets that it gave her a headache. She thought of the people who never explained her birth – and Shirona, whom Amagi felt sure was holding something back. "My head hurts."

"Eat some more!" Akagi scooped a few spoonfuls of her food onto Amagi's plate. "Try this. Mamiya makes the best chicken curry."

"Goodness me! Akagi's sharing her food with someone?" a voice sang from across the room.

"Don't you dare tease me, Tatsuta!" the carrier snapped back.

The intercom came on, killing all chatter in the mess. "First fleet, please report to the Admiral's office for a briefing," Nagato said. "First fleet to the Admiral's office. Also, I would appreciate someone bringing me breakfast. Please. That is all."

"Oh, that's you," Akagi said lowly. "Go get them! Good luck!"

Amagi actually managed a smile at the beaming Akagi, though it vanished within a few steps as she departed to report to the Admiral.

* * *

"Goya's submarine group found four enemy battleships, approximately… here."

Shirona peered at the map as Nagato pointed. "One more than we've got. Of course." She rifled through some of the papers on her desk. "Construction still hasn't managed to bring us another one, but we got Naka. At least we'll have some concerts now. Assuming the base survives that long."

Nagato bared teeth with her determination. "I won't let them through."

" _You_ won't? And what am I, chopped liver?" Both of them looked up at a smiling Mutsu, who walked over to check out the map herself. "Oh my, that's a long trip."

"You won't be the only girls going, either. I've got the feeling this fleet is only the tip of the Abyssal spear. I want to break the whole fucking thing before they stab us." She fell silent again as Amagi arrived.

"Hello!" Mutsu greeted cheerfully. "Oh my. Here she is, as pleasant as a typhoon."

Amagi waved off her statement. "What's going on?"

"What else?" Shirona replied, lounging in her chair. "You're gonna go fight." Maya and Atago were the next to arrive, just a few seconds later. "Of course Ooi is late."

"She was right behind us," Maya pointed out, looking back at the doors. "Where the hell did she go?"

A smiling Atago had the answer. "To the factory, of course. To check if her precious-"

"Nnnnnnngh," Ooi interrupted, shambling in like a zombie. "She's _still_ not here. This blows. I'm lon-" She felt eyes on her and stopped short, both in speech and stride. "I'm lon… I'm longing for a fight! Yeah!"

Maya rolled her eyes. "Wow. Ooi. So smooth."

"Uh huh. Almost as smooth as your new hat."

She snapped her eyes over and bared teeth. "What did you say…?"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Shirona said as she stood up. "I want the six of you to put to sea and station keep around here," she added, circling a grid square on the map with an index finger. "Give the second fleet a little while to catch up, then everybody go for it. Got it?" Everyone nodded or saluted or just shrugged. "Good. Dismissed."

Nagato was in front, leading them to the dock with her head held high. So high, in fact, that Mutsu danced ahead, looked up her nose, and started to giggle. "Hmm?" she asked, only noting what was going on after an instant. "Mutsu! Stop that!"

She fell back in, still smirking. "Oh my. Such a regal sinus cavity."

"Th-that's not funny!"

"It's always fun sailing with those two," Atago muttered to Amagi, who had chosen to take up the rear of their formation. "Mutsu is such a tease."

"God, isn't she?" Ooi agreed with a grin. "Nobody knocks old Naggy down a peg like she does."

The look on Amagi's face said _I really don't care_ , but neither cruiser seemed to notice. Instead, they continued to chat and cackle amongst themselves all the way through getting fitted out and stepping into the water. Only when Nagato spoke did they fall silent. "Be prepared for anything. Everyone with scouts should launch them when we arrive on station." The battleship paused to crack her neck before she set off. "First fleet, underway!"

"Oh my. So dramatic."

Nagato's brow furrowed with annoyance. "...Mutsu..."

"Never mind me!" she chirped happily. "First fleet, underwaaay!"

Once at sea, things calmed down to match the gorgeous conditions, although Atago was absolutely determined to make conversation about Amagi. "What _is_ a battlecruiser, really?" she asked herself more than anyone else. "Is it a battleship? Is it a really big cruiser with big guns?"

But Amagi humored her this time; it was something to fill the mental hole. "I'm a battleship with less armor."

"Oh, oh. So Akagi would look like you if she hadn't have been converted?"

"Probably, yes," she surmised, adjusting her hair bow.

Atago giggled. "I'm having a hard time picturing her with all those turrets."

That image was almost amusing enough to make Amagi smirk, but she kept her expression blank. "So am I." She watched Atago carefully drop a float plane into the water. "Already?"

"Hmm, it's just a habit of mine. I like to keep my pilots busy. Besides, no harm in making sure our staging area is clear, right?"

"Atago!" Nagato suddenly called over her shoulder. "Would you launch a-" The float plane wandered past her, barely off the water as it struggled to gain height. "Never mind."

"Sorry I jumped the gun, chief!" she waved with a smile. "Jumped the gun. Ahaha." Maya and Ooi threw exaggerated groans at her. After a while, her aircraft disappeared over the horizon ahead. "Report, please." Atago cocked her head. "Enemy sighted. Four Ru-class, two Ne-class. Other enemy ships nearby. Not sure what they are yet."

Maya smacked her lips with displeasure. "How did they get there so fast?"

"They probably arrived last night," Nagato mumbled thoughtfully. "We'll figure it out after they're sunk." She snapped an arm back at her fleet. "Line astern. I'm taking the lead. Atago, have your plane radio Kaga's detachment. We're going to need their air support."

"Hey, what about me?" Ooi demanded impatiently. "I can't use my tubes if I'm stuck in a cruiser sandwich back here."

"Cut-in when we get closer. I'll give you a signal." Nagato turned her attention to Amagi next. "Don't wander off. This fleet fights together. Understood?"

"Yes," she stated flatly. Little clicks emanated from her turrets as she loaded armor-piercing rounds.

"Good. Four on three, ladies. Let's focus one down and pick apart the rest. Maya, Atago-"

"Kill the cruisers?" Atago finished her thought with a smile.

"Right."

In two minutes more they made contact with the enemy. Four tall, pallid ladies with long black hair sailed toward them line abreast, seemingly being towed along by a black shield-like structure in each hand, which were studded with cannons. Their cruiser support bracketed them at a distance. All they could see, and therefore fire on, was Nagato – as their guns lit up, she looked back at Ooi. "Go! Now!"

"About time!" She split from the line and dashed ahead, sweeping across their path and dumping dozens of torpedoes from her tubes. The shots aimed at Nagato nearly hit her instead. "Excuse you, I just got this uniform! Watch where you're shooting!"

The old battleship watched the enemy formation break to avoid Ooi's attack, waiting as long as she could for a target to single itself out. One Ru-class eventually turned away from her sisters without realizing her mistake. "There! Fire!"

Enough heavy guns fired at that instant to make Maya's and Atago's skeletons rattle. "Damn!" the former yelled, covering her ears. She lingered just long enough to watch the shells reach their target… and to cackle at the explosion. "Hey, tanks, let's go!"

Atago thrust an arm into the air with glee. "Coooooming!"

Amagi allowed the war to swallow her whole once again. Her mind was soothed by the sound of the hydraulics training her guns as she started to maneuver, by the metallic dings of shells being loaded into her guns. Even the bassy bellow of their firing was music to her ears. The latest salvo flew through the air at the crippled Ru-class; six of her ten shells hit, shattering the Abyssal into hundreds of bloody pieces.

Mutsu's startled "Oh my!" barely reached her through the noise.

"Nice shot," Nagato said approvingly. The other enemy battleships were beginning to turn for broadsides. "Eyes open! Return fire is coming!" She opened up with her own main battery.

Unlike the last fight, the sky above was remarkably clear of aircraft, friendly or otherwise. Maya's guns tossed haphazard spurts of lead airborne at enemy scouts, but for the most part the fight was strictly sea-based. Mutsu fired a staggered salvo toward one of the Ru-class while Nagato reloaded. Amagi was looking for a way out of the line to get closer. To get her hands dirty. Unfamiliar vitriol burned in her heart – and the best way to vent it, she told herself, was with Abyssal blood.

"Put shells on that one! She's-" Nagato cut herself off as the Ru-class suddenly exploded. "Mutsu, your ability to hit magazines is disturbing."

"Hmm, it's not like I've got experience with explosions," she replied wryly, patting one of her turrets.

With only two equal opponents left, Amagi was beginning to get edgy. She stuck with the formation for one more salvo before subtly putting distance between herself and Nagato. While they finished off one of the Ne-class cruisers tangling with Ooi, she sneaked toward the remnants of the shattered Abyssal battle line and closed on the last Ru-class. She fired – not at Amagi, who was by then almost right there – but at the other girls. Only when hands wrapped around her throat did she realize something was wrong. Now she resisted, screeching as she tried to tear Amagi's fingers away from her neck.

"Why won't any of you fight me?" Amagi asked around her enemy's metal screams. "Am I not good enough for you?" She freed up one hand to make a fist, which she drove into the Ru-class' nose. "Well?"

"Amagi!" Nagato yelled in the distance. "What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she muttered under her breath, more concerned with the struggling Abyssal. That momentary lapse in her concentration allowed the Ru-class to get her guns around. She reacted quickly enough to stop her from firing all of them, but Amagi still ate two shells at point-blank range. The pain was sizzling at first, but faded away into a dull, thunderous ache. "Damage report?" she asked herself. Minor, her crew replied, but some of her secondary guns were out of commission.

"Amagi!" Nagato snapped again, sailing toward them with Mutsu not far behind.

She didn't hear her this time. Her anger bloomed into genuine, full-throated fury as she pressed her thumbs against the Ru-class' glowing eyes. "That hurt." So did the black nails tearing at her wrists, but she savored these wounds. "Does this hurt?" she asked sweetly, pushing her thumbs down a little harder with each passing moment.

The battleship arrived just in time to hear two awful, wet pops in quick succession. Amagi released her prey and watched as she stumbled around, firing in random directions. "Get back in formation!" Nagato demanded angrily. Her emotion faded when she saw the damage, but not much. "Are you… all right?"

"Of course," Amagi assured her with a crooked grin. Smoke billowed from her left hip. The blind Ru-class bumped into her again – the battlecruiser grabbed on and held firm. "Look. I made a friend."

An uneasy Nagato took more than few steps back. "A… a friend?" Amagi laughed at her confusion. That laughing, compared against _that_ scream, turned her blood to ice. They were the same sound. Different pitches, perhaps, but the same basic, metallic cacophony.

"Nagato?" Mutsu asked, not knowing how else to respond to what she saw.

She was already in radio contact with base. "Admiral, something's wrong with Amagi." The girl in question was still laughing up a storm. "Do you read?"

Shirona's voice arrived over a weak, warbling signal. "What's the problem?"

Mutsu answered before her sister could even think of the words. "She appears to be crazy, that's the problem."

"Oh. Uh..."

"Ma'am! I'm sending her back!" Nagato yelled. "We've already taken out the enemy fleet, so..." A conflicting radio signal made her wince. "Hold on. Kaga? Is that you?"

"We've found and dispatched four enemy carriers, but are being attacked by surface ships," Kaga stated, her voice a serene contrast to the din of battle in the background. "Requesting reinforcements."

"What?" She tapped her headgear to try and clean up the transmission. "Say again." All she could hear this time was Akagi screaming.

Amagi, of course, heard this too – and she wasn't laughing anymore. Without a word, she pumped a salvo into the back of the squealing Ru-class to finish her off. She sailed between Nagato and Mutsu toward the west. "Kaga," she said after getting away from them, "I'm on my way."

"Oh my..." Mutsu breathed lowly.

"My sentiments exactly." Nagato adjusted her radio again, pushing to a different frequency. "Fubuki, Nagato. Do you read?"

"Y-yes, ma'am! Loud and clear!"

She swallowed a knot of ice in her throat and issued the order. "Move in on bearing 288. Intercept her before she gets to the carrier fleet."

* * *

A cluster of grayish columns of smoke loomed on the horizon. Amagi, sailing full speed ahead, noticed the increasing amount of aircraft above. Most of these were friendly planes; they had apparently seen her approach and were guiding her back to help their carriers. There were other ship girls, too – four destroyers of some classification arriving from the south. Her radio was malfunctioning, however, so getting in contact with them was proving difficult. She gave herself a solid rap on the side of the head to try and fix it.

Fubuki's frantic call was the first to get through. "Miss Amagi! Please!"

Her face went blank. "Please what?"

"We don't have time for this, Fu..." This was Hatsuyuki's unmistakable droning.

" _Ahhhhhhhhh_!" she screamed with frustration. "Forget it! We have to help Miss Akagi!"

"I'm already on my way," Amagi added, still a little confused about Fubuki's initial words. Despite heading in the same direction, getting closer all the while, the destroyers refused to get into formation with her. Their healthy distance confused her even more. "What are you doing?" she asked loudly, now that the girls were in shouting range.

"D-don't mind us!" Fubuki yelled back. "We'll draw some attention! You just, you know, do whatever it is you do! To the enemy! Please do it to the enemy..."

Amagi faintly heard Miyuki ask, "Why is she so bloody?" as they moved away.

Whatever concerns she had about that, however, took a back seat to the fight now raging all around. The carriers – Akagi, Kaga, Unryuu, and that girl who had _stolen_ her name – were being circled by several cruisers. An overwhelmed Akebono was keeping the enemy at bay with torpedoes while Kaga struggled to retrieve her planes. Akagi was smoking a little, but the damage appeared to be superficial. Unryuu sailed in front of her like a shield, giving her cover as she notched an arrow. The other Amagi, meanwhile, struggled with her staff once again, leaving a quarter of the area uncovered by friendly aircraft.

"Hey!" Akebono shrieked. "New Amagi! Launch something before I die!"

"I'm t-t-trying!" the carrier screamed back.

"Try harder!" A Chi-class was suddenly in Akebono's face. "Oh shiiiiii-" But suddenly the Abyssal was yanked backward by the hair. Akebono used the chance to put some space between them, turning just in time to see the battlecruiser's guns blowing her head off. "Where did you come from?"

"We won the east." Amagi kept the corpse with her until she managed to remove its arms. "Where are the rest?"

"I dunno." She blinked at the other destroyers as they arrived. "I didn't even know you were out here!"

"Sorry," Fubuki apologized breathlessly, "we were under radio silence. Okay. Okay… we have to form a defensive perimeter. Let Miss Amagi – I mean the big Amagi – I mean the… you know what I'm saying. Let her scare them off." She blinked at what was in Amagi's hands. "What the-"

Her reasons for taking them soon became clear; she encountered another enemy, this one a Ri-class, and began beating her with the severed limbs. "Leave her alone!" she yelled between strikes. "I will _not_ let you sink her again!"

While Akebono was partway used to the gory sight, she had no idea how to deal with Amagi displaying her rage so openly. She ran back toward the carrier group, more afraid of the battlecruiser than the Abyssal she was attacking. Kaga's planes soared overhead, dropping their bombs on another Chi-class trying to assist Amagi's victim and blowing her to bits. Despite her wish to be anywhere else on the planet at the moment, Akebono had no choice but to form up and cover her. "Throw those things away!" she yelled.

"Make me." A swarm of Ha-class destroyers emerged through the haze. "Come on, give me something that can scream!" she said with disgust, punting one out of the water as it tried to get guns on her. Another one got close enough to get struck with one of the detached arms. Off her port bow, Fubuki and her division were launching torpedoes. Two of the enemy were lost to their spreads, and as they exploded the others made the decision to withdraw. "I'm not done with you!"

But Amagi, fast as she was, was not as fast as a destroyer. They outran her within two miles, forcing her to give up the chase and return to the carrier group. The other ship girls were enthralled enough with checking their own damage not to notice her return at first – it was Akebono, silent and staring, that tipped them off. The battlecruiser's concern was limited to one of them alone. "Akagi?"

She was still holding the bloody arms. No one, not even her sister, would approach. The other Amagi, hidden behind a wall made of Kaga, Hatsuyuki, and Unryuu, had no idea what was happening; in fact, she was still fumbling with her equipment. "Oh, this is ridiculous. I wasn't able to send out a single plane!" she scolded herself.

Suddenly, Amagi's still-smoldering hate found a new target. She threw away her grisly cargo and advanced at a deliberate pace, forcing all in her way to move aside. Carrier Amagi was oblivious until the second her namesake snatched her up by the collar and held her airborne. "You..." the battlecruiser hissed. "Did you almost get her killed again?" All of her active guns, primary and secondary, pointed at the flailing carrier.

"My elevators were..." she gasped, trying to kick out of her iron grip, "They jammed! I couldn't get the planes out of my-"

"Put her down," Kaga warned, bow aimed and ready to fire. Fubuki and her division raced past, startling her. "What are you doing?"

"Arm torpedoes," Fubuki ordered her sisters. Tears streamed down her face. "Miss Amagi… please don't make us do this."

"What is going on?!" Akagi snapped, her brain at last engaged with the situation. Fubuki's destroyers had the two Amagi surrounded; all their launchers were at the ready. She sailed through them and gently took her sister's free arm. "Amagi?" The thin, whitish trail of light flowing from the battlecruiser's right eye made her heart crash to the sea floor. "No. No. Amagi..."

"Open fire!"

This wasn't Fubuki yelling – it was Nagato, steaming along with Mutsu and the rest of her battle group. "Fubuki! Do it! I gave you an order!"

"No!" Akagi darted over and grabbed the destroyer with both hands. "Don't kill her! Don't take her away from me! Please!" Frozen by opposite demands from the two ship girls she respected most, Fubuki held her fire and broke down in a fit of sobbing. That was one immediate problem solved, but there was another – fearing that one or both of the battleships would start shooting, she let go and put herself between her and them. "No! No! Let me talk to her!"

"Stand aside, Akagi. Your sister is an Abyssal. I'm sorry. We have to scuttle her," Nagato said gently. "Akagi. Move. We have no..." She trailed off, looking past the hysterical carrier and at the scene behind her. Amagi had put her namesake down. "Huh?"

"Were it so simple," the battlecruiser stated, standing beside Akagi with ghostly fire still trailing from her eye. Even Kaga had her bow down by now; everyone had been ready to strike, but she'd taken their reason away. In the silence, Unryuu helped carrier Amagi over to Kaga. "Do you still wish to scuttle me?"

"What in the _fuck_ ," Akebono breathed, unable to process the scene.

Akagi seized the confusion, and her sister, by the hand. "I'll take her home!" she yelled, towing her along and out of the formation. "It'll be fine! Please don't shoot! I'll accept full responsibility!"

"And what if she kills you?!" Kaga shouted, as emotional as any of them had ever seen her.

"Then it will be an honor to die at her hands," she replied, smiling back at all of them. She turned forward and ignored Kaga's upset growling.

Amagi removed her hand from Akagi's grip and proceeded ahead under her own power. "Save your drama for something that actually warrants it," she said, her face back to its usual blankness.

That wasn't going to happen, of course. She poked the battlecruiser's arm with a shaking finger and tried to catch her breath. "Are you all right?" She sneaked a glance over her shoulder and noticed the entire fleet sailing after her. Mutsu and Nagato had their main batteries pointed at her sister. "Please tell me you're all right. I can't lose you again."

The flame of her rage was extinguished, literally and figuratively. Amagi rubbed at her eye with a sigh. "Nagato thinks I'm one of them."

"No. No no no no. You're one of us! You're Amagi. My sister. _Mine_. Not some freak from the bottom of the sea. Do you hear me?" Akagi replied, more fervent with every word she spoke. "You are _my sister_. You're Amagi, first of your class, the carrier our nation never had!"

Amagi looked skyward at a flock of seabirds heading in the same direction as they were. "There is a chance," she began, adjusting the bow in her hair, "that you might both be right."


	7. Missing Link (Part 2)

Amagi lounged in the bath, at the eye of a metaphorical storm that currently seemed to engulf the whole base. Everyone knew what had happened before the fleet returned – Nagato's doing, of course. She wanted to warn them. In fact, the battleship was here with her, standing guard in case Amagi tried anything else. She insisted only once that such a thing wasn't going to happen. Nagato didn't believe her. "I cannot wait for you to get transferred out of here," the battleship said lowly.

"Perhaps you should be more concerned about why I was sent here in the first place."

Nagato grunted with surprise before looking back. "I don't care. I just want you _gone_." Amagi put on a faint smile in response. "This isn't funny!"

"That's not why I'm smiling." She bore the expression because, now, there was a theory to fill the gap between her death and rebirth. It made so much sense; there was nothing there because some part of her was made of nothing in the first place. "You know, I find it amusing that I've been taken out of the line while that idiot carrier gets to stay."

Anger illuminated Nagato's eyes. "She wasn't threatening to kill _you_."

"Granted. If there were an incompetent ship girl constantly endangering Mutsu, wouldn't you feel the same as I did?"

She hesitated for a split-second, just long enough for Amagi to register it and smile again. "I wouldn't go as far as you!" she growled, storming over to let her have it. "You crossed a line I never would have!" Despite her vicious tone, Nagato could see that the battlecruiser had already checked out of the conversation. "I think I might actually hate you."

"Join the club."

They both glanced up to see Kaga striding toward them. Akagi, in less of a hurry, was behind her. "Have you spoken to the Admiral yet?" she added upon arriving. Her attempt to intimidate Amagi was met by a vacant gaze.

Nagato shrugged and turned away to collect herself. "Ashigara is with her now. I haven't heard anything."

"I do wish she'd hurry up." Kaga continued to glare at Amagi until Akagi intervened.

"None of this is necessary!" the carrier said, almost pleading with both of them. "I'm sure my sister is sorry. Right?" A glance at Amagi said otherwise. " _Right_?" she tried again, with far more insistence.

"Hmm," was all that came out as she crossed her arms and looked away.

Akagi's jaw went to the floor. " _Amagi_!"

"Hmph. I should shoot you myself," Kaga muttered, regretting that she'd left her bow at home. "The quicker you get kicked out, the better."

"Stop fighting!" the other carrier snapped, sounding more like a child with every word she spoke. "Shirona can't have her transferred! I may never see her again!"

"Don't look at us," Nagato replied evenly. "It's not our fault she acts like this."

"Amagiiiiiiiii!" she wailed, scrambling on her knees across the floor and hugging the battlecruiser's neck. "You have to say you're sorry before they take you away from me!"

Kaga had her fill of the whining and exploded. "That's not even the biggest problem! She's an Abyssal! We cannot have the enemy wandering around in our midst!"

Thanks to Akagi's crying, Nagato's squinty-eyed stoic silence, and Kaga's regal fuming, only Amagi noticed the arrival of another visitor. "Admiral," she greeted, staring at the blonde as she walked nearer. "Time to say goodbye?"

Shirona was halted first by expectant looks from Kaga and Nagato, then a desperate, begging gaze from Akagi. She rubbed under her cap and frowned. "Let me know when you're done getting repaired. I want you back in the line as soon as possible." That was it; she turned on her heel and walked away, trying to outrun the negative reaction she knew was coming.

And that plan failed. "Are you insane?!" Kaga roared, chasing her down with a furious gait. "You cannot keep her here, ma'am. She's the—she's the enemy!"

Nagato was so enraged she actually dashed ahead and blocked the Admiral's retreat. "I've had enough of her. If you don't get her out of here I'm going to report you to headquarters!" Her threat was met with a snort and a grin – not the answer she was looking for. Her eyes narrowed. "Ma'am? Do you think I'm kidding?"

Shirona hesitated for just a moment before knocking Nagato right off her high horse. " _Headquarters_ ordered me to keep her and put her back into combat. Wanna threaten me some more?" The battleship and Kaga were left dumbfounded and silent. "I didn't think so. Get over it and get back to work. That's all we can do right now."

Neither moved to stop her as she walked out this time. "How could they do such a thing?" Kaga asked herself.

Amagi finally interjected from across the room. "They built me. Why would they throw me away?"

"What?" Nagato moved nearer on shaky steps. "The Capital Region… are you saying they know you're an Abyssal? Impossible!"

"I'm sure that's not the only thing they know," the battlecruiser muttered lowly. She gave Akagi a pat on the shoulder to make her break the hug. "Get out, both of you. I want to talk to my sister."

They yielded to her request with various levels of disdain, leaving a confused Akagi behind. Happiness and concern fought for prominence in her heart. "Should I be glad, or what?" she thought out loud.

"I'm glad, if that helps."

The carrier tilted her head. "Kind of. What did you want to talk about?"

Amagi's brow furrowed. "Knowing what you know, you still want me around?"

There was no hesitation in her response. "Absolutely. You're still my sister, even if… even if you have other, um, attributes."

"I think you might be the only one here that still feels that way," Amagi admitted with a tiny frown. "Including the Admiral."

"Yes, well, ah," she stuttered, lacking an answer for that one. "It's not like she can do anything about it. Apparently." Movement caught her eye – something appeared to be hiding behind one of the flower-patterned dividers to her left. "Is someone there?"

"Damn!" the stranger hissed, although Akagi knew exactly who it was now. Shirona peeked out from behind the divider and blinked. "Uh, don't mind me."

Akagi blinked at her a few times. "When did you sneak back in here?"

"I didn't actually leave. Just circled back through the side hallway." She stepped out into view and approached. "Amagi, I have to admit, I don't really know what to do with you right now. The majority of the base thinks you're the devil. Did you see Kaga? She _never_ gets that mad."

"Oh dear. Yes, she's rather miffed." Trying to figure out how to smooth things over made Akagi's face screw up with anxiety. "What are you going to do, ma'am? Place her in a fleet by herself?"

Shirona nudged a footstool over and sat down. "Dunno. Most of the destroyers are terrified of her – or the rumors about her – by now. Maybe I could get some of the cruisers to tag along, but Ashigara wouldn't be happy about it. We both know what Kaga would do if I tried to put a carrier with her. Even if it were you. No, no, she'd be extra-pissed if I did that."

"I'd go with her. You wouldn't even have to ask me." Akagi poked her silent sister to make sure she was paying attention. "But two ships isn't much of a fleet."

"You're taking this shit awfully well, you know?"

Her commander's determination brought on a smile. "I'm just so happy she's even here. I'll tolerate a lot of things. Killing the other Amagi isn't one of them, though," she warned.

"Fair enough," Amagi said. "Maybe we should be kept apart."

"Ha! No, really?" Shirona cackled, though her mood abruptly became serious. "Sixty-forty." She paused to regard their unsure faces. "Sixty percent standard humanoid naval weapon, forty percent-" she paused again, needing a minute to recall the exact words, "uh, 're-purposed enemy internal machinery'. Yeah. You're an Abyssal. At least some of you is."

As usual, Akagi was the most emotional of the two. "I had no idea the Capital Region was willing to do things like this."

"War waits for no morals." Shirona stared down the battlecruiser again. "I guess we'll figure it out tomorrow. Akagi, keep an eye on her for me."

"You bet!" Once she was gone, though, Akagi lost all her cheer. "Would you have killed her? Really?"

"I'm not sure what stopped me." Amagi looked back at her. "Maybe it was you being there."

"I..." she trailed off, brow furrowed, "That's good enough for me."

* * *

Sixteen hours passed before Amagi was fully repaired; in that time Akagi had been the only friendly visitor, but the carrier had departed to get some rest herself. As she got dressed, there was a small part of her mind that wondered how everyone else on base would react to her being out and about again. There was only one way to find out.

The first people she encountered in the humid night was a fleet returning from an expedition. Tenryuu headed up a pack of young destroyers, four in the same uniform and one outlier with long, spiraling blue hair. "Oi," the cruiser grumbled. "I heard what you did yesterday. You better keep walking." The kids clumped together around her legs in a nervous, chattering pile.

Amagi obliged her, regarding them only briefly before moving on in silence.

Tenryuu stared her down as she walked away. "You don't even look like an Abyssal. Weird."

"Looks can be deceiving," the battlecruiser stated over her shoulder.

"Y-yeah? Well, I ain't scared of you!" she shouted back, failing to mask her nervousness.

"Try saying that after you've sailed with me," Amagi said, though she had the good sense to mumble this to herself. Further down the path, she ran into Atago as the latter moved toward the headquarters building. Seeing her was a reminder about letting the Admiral know she was repaired. "Atago?"

She stopped and turned, eying her with a smile. Nothing about her demeanor seemed different from yesterday. "Hmm?"

"Is the Admiral awake? I was supposed to tell her-"

"Aha, don't worry. I'll let her know when she comes in." Atago glanced away once. "May I be honest with you about something?"

Amagi blinked at the sudden shift in her tone. "I guess."

"You're terrifying." Despite her bluntness, the cruiser still wore a friendly smile. "I'm just saying." Atago glanced away and shrugged. "She won't be in until morning, so you've got some time to kill." Her face screwed up. "I mean time to pass. To… never mind. Good night."

The cruiser was in such a rush to depart, she bumped into the door, but Amagi ignored her surprised squeak and moved on toward her quarters. After a little walking, however, she had the distinct feeling that she was being followed. Out of curiosity, she led her pursuer all the way back to the front door of the battleship dorms. All the while, she assumed it was Akagi playing games with her. When she finally turned, however, it was Kaga standing there. "What?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Kaga's eyes were filled with disgust. "I don't know whether to be jealous of Akagi or to feel sorry for her."

Here was something Amagi had no idea how to react to. She chose silence.

"Of course." Kaga sucked in a deep breath through her nose. "She gets her sister back. Unfortunately, her sister is _you_. I suppose it's a wash, really." What was left of that breath, she exhaled through her mouth. "Do not threaten one of my carriers again. I don't care how much Akagi begs, if Nagato doesn't scuttle you, I will."

Amagi had regained her footing by now. "You came all the way out here to threaten me?"

"No. I came out here to urge you to be something other than yourself. For Akagi's sake. As much as I hate you, I don't want to break her heart." Kaga stared off in the direction of the sea. "Be brutal, if you must. But direct your brutality toward the right target. I won't stand for those kids being scared of you."

"Akagi doesn't seem afraid."

Kaga's tight-lipped frown indicated just how good of a point she thought that was. She had a counter for it, however. "Akagi is blinded by her love for you. If Tosa were here, I suspect I'd act the same way." She too folded her arms and looked down, trying to stifle the misery. "May I ask you something?"

"I guess," Amagi agreed, already having some idea of the question.

The carrier shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Do you think there's any chance that Tosa could be out there, somewhere?"

This needed some thought. Amagi allowed the door frame to support her weight as she cast her gaze skyward. "I met her once, a very long time ago, but we drifted apart in space. I don't know what happened to her."

Kaga's heart leaped into her throat, but she maintained her calm demeanor. "Do you think she still exists?"

"I still exist, don't I?" They regarded each other for a long, quiet moment. "Not satisfied?"

"It's not that," Kaga said, still having one last barb to deliver, "It's just that if she is still alive, I pray she isn't like you." With her peace spoken, she walked smartly away and down the path.

Amagi watched her vanish into the darkness before entering the building. "I can't blame you for that," she whispered, adjusting the bow in her hair.

* * *

The battlecruiser remained cloistered in her room until dawn, sleeping only part of the time. The rest of her moments were spent staring into the empty black, unmoving. Hardly thinking, even. Just existing for a while. As light crept in through her window, an actual thought invaded her mind – where was Akagi? She half-expected the carrier to be at her door the moment the sun came up. Soon, though, she grew bored of staring at the portal and got out of bed to get ready. On the way by, she straightened the position of the heads on her shelf to get them all lined up.

Just after getting dressed, Amagi heard a knock. "There you are," she said to herself, heading over to open the door. She was completely wrong. Behind it stood Shirona, remarkably prim and proper for so early in the morning. All she lacked was the hat to complete her uniform. "Admiral?"

"Yo. May I?" she asked with a subtle motion. The first thing she saw once getting past Amagi were the four Abyssal heads. "Good god, man." Though not surprised, she still felt revulsion. "I can't believe you actually _display_ the things." Her face went blank. "...yeah I can, what am I even saying."

Amagi watched her take a seat at the circular table. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she wondered out loud, electing to stand.

Shirona crossed her legs with a sigh. "I wanted to talk to you somewhere that I knew Nagato and Kaga wouldn't follow. Soooo… you need a new fleet. Except I've got a problem. I don't think anybody wants to sail with you at the moment except Akagi, and when you work with her you get scary. It's bad when you get scary."

"Can't you just order someone to sail with me?"

"Sure. Just because I have that power doesn't mean I'm in a hurry to use it, though. I don't think it would go so well if I had a fleet more afraid of their flagship than the enemy." Her head dropped slightly in contemplation. "Is there anyone besides your sister you'd have a preference for?"

"Not really."

Her blue eyes rolled a little. "I'm stunned," she replied caustically. "Whatever, we'll deal with it. There's, uh, there's another reason I dropped by. I managed to get some info about you out of my former commanding officer."

She had Amagi's complete interest now. "What did they say?"

Shirona had taken to idly playing with her blonde ponytail. "Said you were based off of a Wo-class standard carrier some other Admiral captured down south. There was a huge fight in the project about what class to make you, so they let you pick after you had enough consciousness. When you chose your original form, they had to scrap your prototype body and build you in a Ta-class instead." Something caused her to laugh for a moment. "He said when your spirit took command of that body, you scared the hell out of everyone when you came out looking so much like Akagi. They thought they'd fucked up the process somehow."

"I see. Did he explain why the Abyssals seem so reluctant to-" Shirona raised her hand and stopped the battlecruiser short. "What?"

"Think about it," she said. "You already know why."

Amagi looked to the side. "...because I am one. It confuses them."

"You're the first operational hybrid ship girl, Amagi. The missing link between the things trying to protect humanity and the things that wanna kill it. I'm not saying I approve of your behavior, but after thinking… if I were you, would I be any different? We barely gave you enough personality to function." Saying that made Shirona's face darken. "Which brings me to the last reason I wanted to speak to you here. By yourself." She got up and turned her back on Amagi, trying to breathe in courage from the air. "I wanted to apologize on their behalf for all the shit they did to you."

"Oh." Beyond that utterance, Amagi had no clue how to react. She stood there, staring.

Shirona expected it, though, and smiled. "Yeah. Just keep it in mind. It's about time somebody started treating you like a human being. For now, that's gonna be Akagi. I hope she isn't the only one that warms up to you. Anyway, I better get going," she concluded with a glance at her wristwatch. "Still gotta find a fleet. Maybe you, Shiranui and Tatsuta. Heh, the Ice Queen Fleet." She laughed at her own joke a little too long, especially when compared to Amagi's blank-faced silence. "Riiiight. Akagi should be in the mess hall in fifteen minutes. I swear you could set a clock by her appetite. Go join her."

"Perhaps I will," the battlecruiser surmised, offering a tiny wave as the Admiral took her leave. But Amagi's legs wouldn't work once she was alone. "Sorry? Am I something to be apologized for?" No, she told herself, but hearing it from the little voice in her head wasn't good enough. Someone else needed to say those words.

And only one person in this base would. Amagi shook off the invisible chains and grabbed her boots to go find her. Outside was a brilliant, if slightly muggy, dawn. She'd never bothered to really look at a sunrise before now – all daylight was the same to her – but this golden kaleidoscope was too expansive to ignore. Personnel were already starting their days, but like last night none of them had much warmth for her presence. Especially the destroyers, among whom her viciousness was already legend. Every single one she saw ran in the other direction when they noticed her coming.

Save for Akebono. Even after she noticed Amagi heading her way she kept walking at a leisurely pace. "Yo," she greeted, sensing the battlecruiser as she got close. "Heard you got booted from the first fleet. Sucks."

Her steadfastness held Amagi's curiosity. "You're not going to run away?"

"Why? You aren't gonna do anything to me." She cut nervous eyes up at the taller girl. "...right?"

"Right."

The destroyer twirled her ponytail around her finger. "Yeah. See, I get you. Stuff happens in battle and you get super pissed off. Is it scary? Damn right. But I know when to expect it now." She was suddenly a bit paler than before. "Could you try not to do the arm thing again? It made me nauseous."

Amagi would promise her nothing, instead opting to be realistic. "Depends on how mad I get."

"You know what? I'll take it. You going to breakfast too?"

"I'm mostly going to see Akagi, but yes." A subtle pinging in Amagi's brain slowed her walking to a crawl. "What is it?" Poking at her hair bow brought the sensation into a clearer focus. "Is your radar picking up something?"

"Huh?" Akebono mimicked her actions, fiddling with the flower in her ponytail. "Yeah, from the north. Way up there." She searched against the morning to find them. "Oh, there." And there were a _lot_. "Wait a second..."

Before either could add anything else, the sound of screeching alarms filled the air. "General quarters!" Atago yelled over the public address system. "General quarters! This is not a drill! All available units report immediately!"

"Shit!" Akebono snapped, turning for the docks. "Come on, scary! We gotta go!"

They joined a flood of ship girls that sprang from every building, nook and cranny of the installation, all rushing for the docks. In the awful scrum, Amagi somehow ran into Akagi. "Sister!" she yelled over the chaos. "What's going on?!"

"Enemy aircraft!" Amagi shouted back.

"But I haven't even eaten yet! This is so unfair!"

"Grab something on the way," Kaga said, her calm words slicing through the din around them. She offered Amagi a derisive look on the way by. The rest of the carriers, including her namesake, trailed right behind. "Akagi, come on. We have to launch."

Akagi was too reluctant to leave the battlecruiser's side. "But she doesn't have a fleet..."

Akebono darted up from behind and slapped her on the back. "Relax, I'll go with her. Make sure she doesn't blow up the base. Don't worry," she said with a snarky grin. "Go on, go!"

The classes had to split here so the cranes could more easily sort their specialized equipment. "I'll find you!" Akagi yelled. She winced at a chilly glare from her carrier partner. "If Kaga lets me..."

Ship girls poured from the dock building and into the harbor, fast destroyers leading the way out. Anyone mounting AA guns began firing the moment they could see the sky. Amagi filtered through the crowd ahead of Nagato and Mutsu, almost able to keep up with the heavy cruisers ahead. On her port side, the carrier fleet threw countless fighters into the air. Among them was the girl who stole her name.

"Don't even think about it!" Nagato yelled, knowing what Amagi was looking at. "I will sink you right here!" She winced as a hand glanced off the back of her head. "What-"

"Fight them first," Mutsu chided her. "We can fight each other later."

"Don't undermine my authority in front of the fle-" Mutsu smacked her again. "Stop that, damn it!"

Amagi let their antics fade into the background as she directed her attention to combat. True to her word, Akebono danced through the formation to rendezvous with her – but she wasn't alone. Ashigara was right behind her. "Yeah!" she yelled, pumping a fist into the air. "The tenth – were we the tenth fleet? – is back together again!"

"You seem awfully happy to see me," Amagi noted with a cocked brow.

"I'm really not. I'm just glad to be back in combat again. Come on, I'll provide AA cover." They cruised line abreast as the bombs started to fall. "It's way too early for this!" she added, infuriated, and started shooting.

As they sailed for the open sea and the formations began to drift apart, Amagi's fleet picked up two more stragglers: Hatsuyuki, who tugged a bitterly uncomfortable-looking Fubuki with her. "There they are, come on."

"I don't wanna do this! I wanna go with Miyuki!" she whined in protest. "Hatsuuuuuu! Lemme go!"

"If you weren't so bad at rock-paper-scissors, we wouldn't have to change fleets."

"It's not my faaaaaaaaault!" Fubuki finally sucked it up and wiped her eyes. "Miss Amagi! Hello!" The battlecruiser didn't acknowledge her at first, but she just had to be sure she'd gotten away with her tantrum. "You heard me crying, didn't you?"

Amagi's concentration was mostly on directing her secondaries against the enemy above. "Yes."

"...oops." To cover her embarrassment, she began firing her gun. "Ahahahaha, never mind! Gotta fight these Abyssals!" And when they finally made open water, there were plenty of Abyssals to fight; the horizon was lined with classes of all types, who sailed with their guns blazing. "W-wow..."

"Today is going to be a good day," Amagi decided with a grin, turning her main battery toward the enemy.


	8. Two Amagi

If the entire Abyssal navy weren't bearing down on them, it had to be the vast majority of it. The sky was thick with planes, enemy and friendly, sandwiched between the explosions of flak shells and tracer bullets. Hatsuyuki and Fubuki dashed ahead and laid down torpedoes – the enemy formations were so thick it proved impossible to miss. Several enemy ships went up in brilliant orange plumes of fire. "Hatsu! Bring it around!" Fubuki yelled. "We need our other launchers!"

"No, really?" she said sarcastically, swinging hard to port to show her other side to the Abyssals. She jumped with fright as Amagi's heavy guns opened fire, throwing shells right over her head. Another two ships erupted with reddish clouds of light.

"How are we supposed to break this formation?" Akebono shouted. "They're freakin' everywhere!" A duller roar echoed from behind as Nagato and Mutsu launched salvos toward the enemy. "Hey, maybe we should keep here and let the old ladies catch up?"

"We're running out of time," Amagi denied her, pressing on through the smoky chaos. "We need to find their carriers before they find ours."

"I'm sorry, do you _see_ all those enemy battleships?" Ashigara said, pointing toward the enemy line. "We need more destroyers over here first."

Akebono dropped her own torpedoes and circled back. "Do we even have enough? In our whole fleet? 'Cause this is getting ridiculous."

"Wait. We might not need any." The battlecruiser peered into the mass of enemy vessels, looking for a gap. "Stay here. I'm going to approach."

"Are you nuts?!" Fubuki exclaimed. "You're outnumbered, I dunno, eight to one! We can barely give you enough cover from here!"

"Don't cover me. I don't need it." Amagi departed the formation and steamed forward despite Fubuki's continued hemming and hawing. Ashigara was content to let her go, but Akebono dashed past to release one more spread of torpedoes.

"Good luck, scary!" she said with a wave, and turned around.

As before, once there was enough distance between her and the rest of the ship girls, the Abyssals stopped paying her any attention. The battle flowed around her bubble of silence, but all was not quiet. "Where are you _going_?" Nagato demanded over radio. "Get back in our lines!"

"Shut up. You should be happy I'm about to die."

Amagi's answer stunned the old battleship into silence for several moments. "Wh-what are you talking about?" she finally asked.

"They won't hit me. Not until I shoot first. I'm going to the rear so I can find their carriers." A few enemy fighters zipped right by her, flying as if she wasn't even there. Up ahead, just off her bow, was a battle group of four Ta-class battleships. One of them actually waved for her to join _their_ formation. "I'll take out as many of them as I can."

"That is suicide!"

"So? I need to give the base and our carrier fleet some breathing room. It doesn't matter either way. If I live, fine. If I die, you and Kaga have gotten rid of me." She tucked some errant locks behind her ear as she passed beyond the Abyssal front and hit empty waters. "Someone will win."

"You've whipped your sister into a tizzy, I hope you know." Kaga, who would have sounded immensely angry were she not concentrating so hard. "Don't throw your life away."

Amagi stared at the horizon. "...what life? I was never really born. The least I can give myself is a proper death."

" _Amagiiiiiiiiiii_!"

"I'm sorry, sister. It was nice to see you again." With a twist of her hair bow, she killed all radio communications and sailed on in silence. The din of war faded in the background, cloaking her in a strange sort of peace. "From nothing, to nothing," she muttered lowly. More black dots came into view on the gray sea – twelve in total, all of them Wo-class in the middle of aircraft operations. Three turned to regard her with confusion. One of these pointed her cane back toward the battle lines, but Amagi waved her off and feigned sailing past. Once all twelve carriers had their backs to her, she swung around and started aiming her main guns. One barrel for ten ships with two to spare; awful odds for her, but if her shots were true she would shatter their air power. She silently commanded her crew to load high explosive.

And then she heard the buzzing sound.

So did the enemy; their canes pointed skyward, firing at something in the air. It wasn't exactly loud, but Amagi clearly heard friendly planes – perhaps just one, based on how quiet it was. As the Wo-class filled the air with flak, she used the chance to fill _them_ full of sixteen-inch shells. Four of them immediately caught fire and screamed. The two she hadn't hit at all whirled on her and started firing. Their planes swarmed her like a black cloud. Machine gun and light cannon fire sparked off her skin and superstructure as her secondary guns let loose. Of more concern were the Wo-class' canes, which hit her much harder than the airplanes could. Hits came in, wrecking her superstructure and knocking out one of her turrets. At the edge of her attention, she heard the buzz getting louder – a single dive bomber dropped from the clouds and released its payload, striking one Wo-class square in the back. She exploded with a fearsome roar. More bombers appeared in the sky, drawing away some enemy aircraft. Amagi used this chance to get in close.

One enemy carrier tried to flee; she grabbed it by the neck and used it to shield herself. "Don't run," she warned another, firing one of her main guns into its legs. The bombers above fell like stones on a new target. Two more carriers ate their bombs and went up in volcanic explosions. Every single Wo-class was either sinking or on fire now except the one Amagi was using as armor. Through the smoke, she could see other Abyssals returning to defend their carriers, but it was too late. Dying enemy planes rained from the air all around her. After pumping another salvo into the last Wo, she released her victim and sailed west. "I should have known Akagi wouldn't leave it alone," she muttered to herself. Then again, she admitted to herself, those planes certainly helped. They were following her, too, droning along on her port side. When they pulled ahead, she looked off and saw a dot on the horizon coming closer. It wasn't an Abyssal, but that was all Amagi knew. "Who..."

They were waving. "Helloooooooo?" she heard a voice say. Definitely not Akagi. Not Kaga, either. Amagi twisted her hair bow to reply, but found the radio broken. As they sailed nearer each other, the mystery carrier recovered her planes and turn to match the battlecruiser's heading.

Now she could see the stranger a little more clearly. It was the other Amagi. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Mom – I mean Miss Houshou – and I exploited a weak point in the enemy lines," she explained nervously. "We flanked the Abyssals to the east and ended up back here. Do you know what's happening at base?"

"No, my radio equipment is damaged." And that wasn't the only thing that was broken. She billowed smoke from all sorts of places, including her broken main turret.

"Oh, dear. Ah… just a moment." She fiddled with the red flower in her hair, anxiously looking around until she got a signal. "Mom? Can you read me?"

"I'm right here." Houshou came sweeping up from their starboard sides, looking back as she sailed. "The entire fleet is after us now. I suppose you managed to pull them away from our base." She regarded the battlecruiser with a curious eye. "Greetings. I believe this is the first time we've met."

"Yes." That was all Amagi cared to put toward the topic. "I'm not fast enough to outrun their cruisers."

Houshou notched an arrow and smiled pleasantly. "Hmm. Leave it to us."

The battlecruiser squinted at her namesake after Houshou said those words. "W-what?" the carrier said. "Oh, um, I apologize for what happened the last time. And the time before that. Um… those were my planes that helped you, though, so I'm doing better! I promise!"

"Are you two going to fight?" Houshou asked.

"No. Akagi isn't here for her to get killed. I don't care what happens to me." Amagi looked back again and found a few cruisers closing in. She turned her operational guns to the rear and fired just to give them something to dodge. "Can either of you get away?"

"Um..." carrier Amagi began, her arm pointed ahead. She was pointing out a cluster of little black shapes that raced along the horizon. "Enemy destroyers. I think we're in trouble."

"We've been pinched," Houshou agreed, raising her bow skyward and launching some planes. "Which way?"

The battlecruiser's eyes narrowed to slits. "We'll sail into the lighter guns. I can take their hits. Sail line astern."

"I'll do my best to protect you!" The two Amagi stared at each other for a moment. "Wh-what? I will."

"I'm a little surprised," the battlecruiser said lowly. "Considering everything."

"Oh, ah..." She paused to whip a few fighters from her scroll and staff. "If I don't, Miss Akagi might sink me. She sounded very upset over the radio. Besides, I don't want to disappoint her!" And then she tacked on a quick, low, "I sure don't want to die, either… hrm..."

"Everything will be fine, I'm sure." Another arrow from Houshou's bow went toward the cruisers at their rear. "I do believe we need a plan, though."

The time for planning was, however, over – the Abyssal destroyer divisions had arrived, their small cannons blazing. "Break!" the battlecruiser commanded. "Watch out for torpedoes!"

Carrier Amagi and Houshou began to twist and turn wildly, timing their launches to the brief moments the wind was in their faces. The elder flat-top was surprisingly nimble, if not fast, and managed to avoid the incoming rounds. Meanwhile, their de facto flagship tried to attract the destroyers into throwing their torpedoes at her instead. Whenever she baited one close enough, it would get blasted by her sixteen-inch guns. While this part of their strategy was working, a problem was sailing in from behind: the cruisers were backed up by the four Ta-class battleships Amagi had seen earlier. "I can't take all of them on by myself!" she yelled, punting a destroyer over Houshou's head.

"Acknowledged! Amagi! Dive bombers!"

"Right away!" she yelled, unfurling her scroll again and casting out the aircraft against a stiff breeze.

"Amagi! Ah, the other Amagi! Their cruisers are going to shred our squadrons!" Houshou waved the battlecruiser toward the nearest two enemies. "Can you spare a moment?"

"I'm getting bored with these fish anyway," she replied, turning to charge them head on. Her opponents were a pair of Ri-class; they hesitated for an instant upon seeing her away from the other ship girls. By the time they opened fire, it was too late; Amagi was close enough to pound them with her main guns before they could evade. On the way past, she put her fist through one of their faces. Her path, however, had taken her too close to the enemy battleships. Massive sprays of water surrounded her as their shells landed. One of them was already right there – somehow she fired and missed – and Amagi fell upon her with both hands. During their struggle, the other three Ta-class arrived, forgoing their firepower for hand-to-hand combat. One had her hands around Amagi's throat. Another her waist. Still a third had her legs wrapped up. The fourth punched her in the face repeatedly, but the battlecruiser gave as good as she got. Try as they might, the Abyssals couldn't wrap up her arms due to the huge superstructure on her back. The Ta-class punching her took a solid hit to the nose and stumbled backward, but one of her sisters took over the beating.

"We have to bomb them!" carrier Amagi yelled, still trying to avoid destroyer fire.

Houshou had her bow drawn, but there was no opportunity to fire. "She's too close! We'll hit her too!" She had to waste the arrow on a nearby formation instead. On the southern horizon loomed an Abyssal fleet of dizzying size, some smoking, some so damaged they should have been able to float. "I guess she managed to take the heat off our base after all."

"I have to do _something_." Amagi flung a squadron of torpedo bombers at them, hoping that they'd stay where they were and get struck before the battlecruiser did. She barely had time to watch the pilots drop before more enemy destroyers were on them. "Gah!"

"We have to withdraw!"

She stared at Houshou helplessly. "But!"

"We're no good to the Admiral at the bottom of the sea. She needs us alive." the elder carrier gave her a tug on the arm. "Come on. Now!"

So they left Amagi, who was still fighting as best she could against her sisters from another mother. She managed to elbow one of the Ta-class restraining her in the stomach, but the other grabbed her and held her mostly still. Her main battery lacked the depression to fire on her assailant, but she shot anyway just to stun them with the noise for a moment. "At least it worked," she sighed with a smile, glancing at the rest of the enemy ships on the sea beyond. "At least-" A pale fist bounced off her jaw. "...that wasn't very nice..."

Every hit brought her closer to darkness, though Amagi could find no fear in the emptiness. Only a sense of familiarity. Sleep, again. A long nap. The explosions of the fight still raging around her faded into the distance. Another punch robbed her flaming right eye of sight. It was so hard to resolve the blurry shapes that she barely knew the Ta-class in front of her was winding up for one last blow.

A blow that never came. Someone grabbed her from behind, an act immediately followed by a huge, brilliant flash of orange light and a metallic shriek. One the other Ta-class holding her down was torn away. Amagi heard a distinct yell, but it wasn't close enough to be from her rescuer. Now able to stand up, she turned around and saw the last battleship get tackled by… it was impossible to tell, at least until they jammed an arrow into her eye. All she could make out was a smeared mess of red and white, screaming bloody murder and beating the enemy as they'd been beating her sister. "Akagi?" she said, trying to blink away the fuzziness.

Her rage was too volatile to be contained by mere words. She screeched it at the Ta-class instead, punctuating her breaths with a gloved fist. Kaga tried to pull her off but lacked the strength; it took Mutsu to hold her back. "Enough!" the battleship said. "Akagi, easy!"

"I'll kill her!" Akagi shouted, wriggling in Mutsu's grasp. "Let me go! Let me go!"

Amagi crossed her arms and tried again. "Akagi."

That one word seemed to bring all noise to a halt. The fight's main participants shifted from capital ships to destroyers, all racing northward and throwing everything they had at each other. It left the bigger girls behind in a gulf of silence. Nagato, the first person to come to the battlecruiser's aid, released the dying Abyssal in her arms and sailed over. All of them were a bloody mess except Kaga. "Look at you," Nagato breathed with horror. "Are you… are you still seaworthy?"

"My propulsion is fine. I'm not taking on water." And that was the end of the good news. _Everything_ hurt. Even her main guns were out of commission. "What about the base?"

"They all came back for you," Kaga stated. "The destroyers chased them here. We showed up not long after."

It was about then that Amagi blinked enough sight back into her working eye to realize Akagi was, by far, the bloodiest of them all. Her crimson cloak was incongruous with her state of good repair, however. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing. I happened to the enemy." She tried to smooth back her hair and smile. "Er… I think I'm okay now. You can let me go." Once Kaga did, she allowed herself a few deep breaths. "I kind of lost it a little."

"A little?" Mutsu repeated, her brow raised. "You were your sister for a while there."

"Well… she needed me. I make no apologies." Akagi, hands on her hips, eyed Amagi next. "Don't turn off your radio next time."

"I would have been distracting." She poked at her ruined bow and sighed. "Not like I can turn it back on now."

"You were distracting anyway!"

Kaga cleared her throat for attention. "We can hash this out later. The fight is outrunning us."

"I noticed." Nagato turned her gaze south and frowned. "Akagi, take your sister back. Kaga, try to contact Houshou. See where her and Amagi ended up. I'm taking command of the cruiser division. Let's finish this."

"They were here," Amagi noted. "I think they sailed north. That other Amagi helped me kill some of the enemy carriers."

"I'm glad to hear she's getting her sea legs," Kaga noted with a raised brow. "Very well. Let's be off." As she went, a hand traveled up to her temple. "Mother, it's Kaga. Do you read?"

Akagi took her sister by the hand as the others followed the war. "What in the _world_ made you think this was a good idea?" she started to rant. "By yourself? Really? Are you nuts?'

Her response was devastatingly simple. "If I could find their carriers, their carriers wouldn't look for you."

"I should have known." With her emotions finally cooled, it was easier to feel a little embarrassment about the way she looked. "Mutsu was right. I did turn into you for a while." And suddenly she smiled. "Maybe that's why we get along so well!"

"...right." Amagi grimaced through the aches. "At least you didn't sink."

She instantly looked cross again. "At least _you_ didn't sink."

"Uh huh. We can fight about this when my right eye works again," the battlecruiser sighed. "How does it look?"

Akagi looked over at Amagi's face and blinked. "Oh, um, it's not too bad," she lied, her expression screwing up at the ghostly flame trailing from the woman's battered eye.

* * *

Even twenty-four hours later there were too many wounded and not enough baths, so the most important ships got green repair buckets to speed their recovery. Amagi received one of these; as such, she was already on her way out as more wounded trickled in. None of the other capital ships had taken enough damage to warrant a bucket, so they were force to deal with their scrapes until a slot opened up for them. All of them were here now, standing before the Admiral in their more official uniforms: a black variant of the Admiral's white blazer, skirt, and heels. "You insane fucker," Shirona scolded Amagi. "Are you _trying_ to get killed? I mean, what the hell?"

"I did it for her," she replied flatly. Akagi was on her right side, with Kaga. Both carriers were also in the black uniform. It looked odd, especially on her sister. "If you want to reprimand me, go ahead. I'd do it again."

"I believe the old phrase about the pot and the kettle applies here," Nagato cut in, eying her commander sternly, "seeing as you're the only one who didn't evacuate the base when the attack started."

Shirona doffed her cap and glared back. "I can't believe you think I'd run."

Mutsu smiled and cocked her head. "Oh my. I expect nothing less of our Admiral."

Kaga brought them back to the topic at hand. "All that aside, what counts is that no one was lost."

"Yeah." Shirona hesitated and rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah. You girls go get ready for the ceremony. Amagi… I need to talk to you."

"Fine." While everyone left, she took a seat – except everyone didn't leave. Akagi took the other chair and put on a pleasant smile.

"Uh, Akagi?" Shirona urged, waving at the door.

"No, and you're not going to make me so get on with it."

They stared at each other for ages. "...you know what? I don't even know why I tried. You're gonna hear it anyway, may as well be from me." Shirona also sat down and got comfortable. "The Capital Region wants Amagi back. I guess they found out what they wanted."

Amagi folded her arms and looked aside. "I refuse to go."

"Yeah, see, I knew you were gonna say that." She regarded Akagi's clenched-teeth, growling rage and leaned back. "Easy, tiger. Look, I can't do anything about it. I just got the call."

"You just got it?" Amagi looked back over.

"Well, yeah." And then the battlecruiser reached out her hand. "What?"

"Phone. Give it to me." She held that position until the Admiral obliged, giving her the handset. "Dial."

Shirona mumbled her discontent, but did as Amagi asked. "Aren't I the one that's supposed to be giving orders?"

Amagi held it to her ear and waited silently. Akagi bounced in the other chair to vent her anxiety, but the battlecruiser paid no mind. At last she heard a voice. "Admiral Hirano. Yes. It's me. I hear you want me back." She listened to him speak for a few seconds. "I'm not coming back. I found Akagi." He talked again, this time for longer, but his words meant nothing. "We both know you'd need Yamato to pry me away. Are you willing to risk the beating she'd take?" He tried to talk one more time, but she cut him off in an instant. "No. Either authorize my permanent assignment or come sink me – so I can become a hundred percent Abyssal instead of just forty." His stunned silence drew a grin across her face. "Yes. I know. She told me." This time she let him talk. "A deal?" Her lips tightened faintly as she mulled it over. "I accept." With that, the conversation was over. She handed the phone back and reclined with her arms crossed. "Done."

Akagi blinked. "Wow, you work fast."

"Knowledge truly is power." Amagi gazed at Shirona. "You have a transfer coming in in a few hours. I get to stay as long as I keep an eye on her. She's stationed at the northern base, but they haven't gotten much use out of her. Perhaps we might."

"I don't think we can handle two Amagi," she replied nervously. "I mean… wait. Three Amagi. Not three of _you_ 'cause I don't—I mean..." she trailed off, still gesticulating to unwrap her thoughts. "Never mind. You know what I'm trying to say."

"I don't, actually," Akagi corrected her with a wry grin.

"Well, save your snark." Shirona stood and put her cap back on. "Come on, we got a ceremony to attend. Medals to give out. Let's get this over with."

They followed her out of the headquarters building and down the road heading into town. Amagi had never been to this side of the base before now. It was mostly open and green, though the land was scarred with a few fresh bomb craters. The base had been largely spared of damage, but the civilian buildings ahead had taken more than their fair share. The town as a whole was still standing, though, and when the residents walking from the opposite direction they broke out in cheers. "By the way, my ass isn't the only one you saved," Shirona mumbled to her ship girls. "This whole island owes you."

Akagi smiled and waved back at the crowd. "I'm glad we could help."

At the parade grounds, the two worlds mixed. Civilians and dignitaries sat on the left while the ship girls – all in black dress uniform, even the youngest destroyers – occupied the right. Nagato and Mutsu sat on a white stage with a podium with several other empty chairs. Shirona silently motioned for Amagi and Akagi to follow her up. They came to rest in the two chairs next to the battleships while she went to the podium. "Okay, sorry for the wait. Personnel business. You know. Anyway..." She paused and looked down at a shelf in the podium. "Good, here's the box. Yeah, so..."

A grinning Mutsu leaned nearer Amagi and whispered, "Get ready for one of Admiral Shirona's legendary non-speeches."

"Hey!" she snapped, turning around. "I heard that! _You_ wanna do this?"

"Oh my, no."

"Then stop backseat driving." She tugged her collar and turned back to the crowd. "Listen, it's too hot out here to make listening to my lame ass worth it. Let's just hand out the hardware." After clearing her throat, she pulled a list from inside her jacket. "Akagi and Amagi… and Amagi. All of you. Up here, please."

Carriers and battlecruiser alike obeyed, although the former needed a moment to arrive. They stood shoulder to shoulder and at attention as Shirona walked in front of them with a hand full of medals. Carrier Amagi received hers first. "Good god!" Shirona complained lowly, struggling to pin them on her chest. "Your boobs are bigger than my head!"

The carrier's cheeks turned beet red. "Ma'am, please..."

It was the other Amagi's turn next; while the civilians cheered again, the reaction from the other ship girls was rather muted. Nagato, Mutsu, and Kaga, who was still in the crowd, clapped politely. Akagi grabbed her arm and beamed with pride. "I do _not_ remember the order of precedence for these," Shirona said, pinning them on at will. There were three rows of three worth. "Nagato will figure it out later. Hey, Akagi."

"Eeeee!" she squealed happily, puffing out her chest. For her, the response was much more even and pleasant, especially from Fubuki's area of the crowd. "If you stab me, I'll slap you."

"Then stop puffing out your chest, dumbass."

The box's contents continued to dwindle as ship girls came up to get their commendations. Kaga was next; Mutsu and Nagato followed her. Soon, the stage filled up with girls of all classes. Amagi looked down the row and saw Akebono, who flashed her a grin, and Ashigara, who managed a weird little wave. Somehow, Hatsuyuki ended up between the battlecruiser and Akagi. "Too hot," she deadpanned, mopping her brow. "Wanna go home."

"Damn, are we done?" Shirona wheezed, checking the box. "Thank god. Okay! Anyone wanna say anything before we go?" Everyone fell silent when the battlecruiser stepped out of the row and walked forward. "Wait… what? Really?"

"I won't be long." She blinked at the microphone, then at the crowd. Her focus went to the other ship girls in the audience. "I know you don't like me. Perhaps yesterday changed your mind. If it didn't, well, you're stuck with me now. So..." she trailed off, looking back at her namesake for a moment. "Let's try to get along." Nobody knew quite how to react as she stepped back from the podium. "I'm going to the wharf to wait on the new girl," she said to Akagi.

She nodded and smiled. "Okay. I'll be there when we're finished."

* * *

Half an hour passed. Amagi stood on the concrete like a statue, sweltering in the heat but refusing to show her misery. When Akagi finally arrived, she brought two freezing cold bottles with her. "Look! Soda!" she chirped happily, handing one off to her sister. "I didn't know what flavor you liked, so..."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." She took a swig and found cola, so chilled it made her teeth hurt. "Thank you."

Akagi sipped at her own drink and looked out over the harbor. "So, is she here yet?"

Amagi took another swig and shrugged. "Almost. I got her radio call a few minutes ago. Told her to meet me here."

"This is really exciting. Did you recognize her from, um, the thing? That you came from?" The carrier sighed at her own awkwardness.

"I don't remember hearing her voice before. Maybe there are more of me than we think." For a while, they just existed together in peaceful silence. "I wonder what the rest the girls think about my olive branch."

"They'll warm up to you. Just give it some time." Through the heat haze, she was able to pick out a dot on the water. "Oh, is this her?"

"Let's find out." Amagi adjusted her hair bow and raised an arm. "Do you see me?" she asked the air.

"Oh, yes! I see you!"

Akagi cocked her head slightly. "Hmm. Doesn't sound familiar to me either."

The new arrival came into clearer focus with every passing moment. She lacked any equipment to slow her down, and so covered the distance in short order. Like them, she wore a black dress uniform, but there were metal boots on her feet instead. Unlike towering, stout Amagi, this girl was spindly and closer to Akagi's height. "Hello!" she greeted with a broad smile. "Does… does this Admiral make you wear these uniforms too? I was hoping he'd be a little less _formal_."

"No, she doesn't. We just came from a fancy event, that's all." Akagi examined her between sips of soda. Something about her hairstyle created a definite sense of deja vu: it was brown, short, and featured a long, thin ponytail in the back. "Welcome! I'm Akagi. This is my sister Amagi."

"Oh, yeah. I remember her from Project Earthquake. I don't think she remembers me, though." The stranger just laughed and waved. "It's okay. I'm used to being a secret."

"What's your name?" the battlecruiser asked.

The stranger rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, oops. Right. I'm Tosa."

Akagi choked on the liquid in her mouth and hunched over, pounding her chest as she tried to gasp for air. "Wh-what did you say?!" she finally spat. "T-T-Tosa, I—Kaga!" she screamed over radio, running away from them. "Kagaaaaaaaaaaaa! Kaga!"

Tosa watched her run away with wide eyes. " _My_ sister is here too?"

"Yes." Amagi nodded for her to follow. "Come on. Let's make sure Akagi doesn't hurt herself."

"All right." They started off after her, although at her frantic pace they soon lost sight. "I remember talking to you a long time ago. You sound different."

"Yes, it was a while back, wasn't it." Amagi glanced over at her. "What class did you pick?"

"Oh, carrier. I watched the war and all. Decided that me being a flat-top would be more useful than carrying a bunch of guns around if I got the chance to return. I don't have the strength for a main battery." Tosa skipped along every once in a while and smiled to herself. "I heard you became a battlecruiser. Hirano was furious."

"I don't care what he thinks."

Tosa let her smile become a grin. "What a surprise. Seen any action so far?"

"Oh," Amagi sighed, also breaking out into a smile as she looked over, "a little."


End file.
